Pen a Pal
by Erik'sangel527
Summary: Christine is bored.. Erik is bored.. What happens when they both find a way to take up the time by emailing one another through a Pen Pal site on the Internet? The boredom ends and a friendship begins, which leads to more. Modern day, E/C... COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary: **

Christine Dupree has just graduated from high school and is taking a year off to raise enough money to pay for college. After becoming bored with her unchanging and repetitive life, she gets on the Internet and discovers Pen-a-Pal. There, she is introduced to Erik. Through emails, she gradually becomes closer to him. What she doesn't know is that Erik has many secrets…

Erik Destler is a masked genius. His primary talent is music, and the famous but faceless name he goes by when composing and publishing his work is Noah Wellington. Becoming bored with his reclusive lifestyle, he does something completely out of character- he discovers the interactive website, Pen-a-Pal, and begins emailing a girl named Christine. Through emails, she becomes more and more intriguing to him.

Eventually, Erik's interest in Christine becomes too much to handle, and he decides he must visit her workplace. Things become more complicated when they finally meet, for Christine has no idea who Erik really is.

What happens when she finds out?

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Christine Dupree found it to be a sunny day outside her bedroom window. For once, it matched her happy mood completely. This was the first morning of summer after having completed four years of high school. She felt alive and free, which was the exact opposite of how she had felt during her years at school.

While smiling and humming a simple tune, she put on work out clothes and tennis shoes intending to enjoy a nice walk outside.

This summer was going to be different. It was a decision she had made during her senior year. Christine was going to enjoy her year off, for she'd decided to wait a year before attending college and work a full-time job as a waitress instead. She didn't have any choice, really. In order to pay for college, she needed to make as much money as possible, and that's where working at a restaurant came in.

Her family didn't have an abundant amount of money to pay expenses. Christine had grown up without a father. He'd died when she was very young, leaving just her, her brother, and her mother. This being said, her three-person family was not wealthy. Her mother was an elementary school teacher and didn't make a prominent salary to support herself and two children.

_It's ok, though_, Christine always forced herself to say. She felt blessed for what she did have and didn't really mind having to work to pay for things.

Christine was rather lonely and pretty sad most of the time, though, which she hated to admit. It just wasn't right for her to want so much more out of life than what she had, especially when there wasn't a way to have more, at least not at the current time. She'd always been like that- daydreaming about wanting a fuller, richer life when, in actuality, it wasn't really possible.

However, this wasn't to say that she only _hoped _for a better life. No, Christine worked as hard as she could to have as much as she had. Despite her hard work, though, life was still lacking so much. It would be so nice to go to college at the same time as all of her high school classmates. It would also be nice to think of her job as a mere part-time way to make some spending money. And it would be nicer still to be able to rely on her parents' support.

But, it wasn't 'nice', because it was all a dream. She had to work hard to have more, and there was no parental support. She rarely saw her mother anymore. It seemed her mom just couldn't adjust to life without her husband, even after all these years. Her father had been the love of her life. They had been so happy and content together, or so she always used to say.. back when she associated with her children. Now, when her mom wasn't working, she was either sleeping or out for various reasons.

Christine knew she shouldn't complain, though. There were people who had far worse lives. At least she had an older brother who was her very best friend, and she had Meg Giry who was also one of her good friends. She had a stable job. She had plans for the future, which she intended to act upon in due time. She should be content with that.

Sighing, she pulled her hair back into a bun before stepping out into the morning sun to briskly jog the streets of her neighborhood.

* * *

Music could be heard throughout the halls of the spacious mansion. A grand piano produced the beautiful sounds, and a man's long fingers on the piano's keys were the source of the production.

Erik Destler was his name. Music was what occupied his time. He was a composer, and the name he used when getting his music published was well-known. 'Noah Wellington'. That name would go down in history. After all, he was the composer of music that was known and used throughout the world.

There was a puzzling fact, though. His name was all that was known. 'Noah Wellington' was a famous name, but the man behind it was not. Yes, he received money for his work.. an extraordinary amount, at that. But, one would not recognize him as the famous genius that he was.

In fact, Erik was never seen, except by the man responsible for sharing 'Noah's' music with the world, Nadir Kahn. He had proven to be a trust-worthy friend Erik could count on to keep his true identity a secret.

Actually, that was a factor in the fame. People knew 'Noah' as the name without a face, which kept their curiosity and interest.

There was a reason behind the secret, though. Erik didn't do it just because he wanted to. He hid his face from the world for the simple reason that he felt he had to. His face was the source of the reason.

There was a mask covering Erik's entire face, and behind that mask, there was a horrible deformity. So horrible, in fact, that he'd never known his mother or father because of it.

Erik only knew Nadir, for he came into the man's life as a baby and was raised by him. _That_ was why Erik could trust him. Nadir understood. He was the _only_ person who understood.

Erik felt his presence approaching while he played. "Good morning, Nadir," he said, still playing.

"Good morning," Nadir said cheerfully.

Erik stopped playing and turned from the piano to study the dark-skinned man. He was always so happy. It was something Erik most definitely couldn't relate to. "Off to work?"

"Yes," he replied with a smile.

Erik simply nodded, becoming uncomfortable from the happiness, and returned to his music.

* * *

"Hey, Christine, do you work today?" Brian, her twenty-year-old brother, asked when she walked into the kitchen after her outdoor jog. He was eating a bowl of cereal at the table.

Christine grabbed a water bottle, a bowl, and a spoon before joining him at the table. "No. You?" She poured Frosted Mini-Wheats into her bowl and added milk.

"Nope. Feels good, doesn't it?"

She smiled. "Yes, it does."

"So, you want to hang out today?" He poured a second helping of cereal into his bowl.

"Sure. I've got nothing else to do."

"Maybe we could go to Borders. I want some CD's."

"Sounds good. I'll probably buy a book or something, since there's no doubt that I'm going to be bored for the next year.. while I'm not working, of course." Christine finished her bowl and copied her brother by having another. Changing subjects, so as not to start concerning her brother with her self-pity, she suggested, "Maybe I could beat you at Dr. Mario later."

Brian laughed. "Yeah, the only video game you're actually good at."

She glared jokingly but couldn't deny it. "Where's Mom?"

"I think she said she was going to the grocery store." He shrugged.

Christine nodded, and both continued eating in silence.

After only a week of summer, Christine decided that she was already incredibly bored. All she did was work, hang out with her brother -which consisted of eating or playing video games-, or hang out with Meg -which consisted of shopping-. She wanted something new and interesting to occupy her time.

Sighing, she sat at her computer to type in a few websites she frequently visited.

There was nothing new, and she was about to give up and sign off... but something caught her eye.

At the top of the Internet screen, there was an advertisement Christine had never seen before. It wasn't one of those stupid, 'Play this game and you'll win an IPod', ads.

This one was intriguing and caused Christine to move her mouse and click on it. The site that came up was titled, "Pen-a-Pal".

Christine murmured, "Hmmm," and read the description of the website.

_A wonderful NEW website where you can make a new friend. You could even discover your soul mate! Join today, absolutely FREE of charge, and create your profile. Then, begin the search for a person who is the perfect match for you!_

Forgetting that it probably wasn't the safest thing to get involved in, Christine felt an immediate urge to join. Maybe, just maybe, this would be the perfect way to end her boredom.

With a genuine smile, she clicked the 'Join Now!' button and began creating a profile.

* * *

For some reason unknown to him, Erik was bored. It was the first time in years that he didn't feel like composing. _What is wrong with me?_ he thought while sitting on an arm chair in the den.

He hated feeling bored. It brought about thoughts and feelings he didn't want to deal with. The most prominent feeling was that of loneliness. He didn't like to think about it, but it was always there.

Erik knew no one besides Nadir, absolutely no one. The only time he wasn't cooped up in the mansion was when he would occasionally step out into the secluded backyard or take a drive around the city in his car with tinted windows.

Erik was usually so good at bottling the emotions and focusing fully on his music.

Today, though, he did not wish to play. Not wanting to play, he didn't know what to do. Music was life, life was music. There was nothing else for him. Staring into the empty fireplace with a frown, he went over a few options in his head. _Perhaps I could walk around the yard or take a short drive. _After thinking about it, though, he decided not to. _I could read a book.. No.. Well, I am out of options. Perhaps I will sit here and get lost in self hatred. _But, he didn't want to do that either.

_Hmm.._ His eyes moved about the spacious room until they suddenly landed on Nadir's lap top that was sitting on a nearby couch. At first, he only stared at it without much thought. But then, out of the blue, a rare but prominent urge filled his entire body. He was absolutely _longing_ to sit at his computer, the one he only occasionally used, and view the Internet.

So, he did.

After a short while of viewing some news websites and getting updated on what was going on around the world, he sighed being sick of it.

He was about to get off and return to his den, but an advertisement at the top of the Internet screen suddenly caught his attention. 'Pen-a-Pal'. A part of him found it a little intriguing, so he clicked on the advertisement box. He didn't have any high expectations and his mind was elsewhere going over the few things he could do once he returned to the den. The website opened, and he read the description.

After reading, he found that his reaction was completely unexpected. He began to think. _I could actually contact someone? I could have somewhat of a cyber 'social life'?_ His eyes gleamed, and his curiosity caused him to make the next instructed move. He registered.

_Perhaps something good could come of this…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Christine finally finished her 'Pen-a-Pal' profile. It took forever! The site wanted to know everything from gender to what qualities one wished to find in a person to places she dreamed of visiting in the future, and so much more.

She decided to stick with it, though, no matter how impatient she was becoming. It was strange… The site gave her some feelings she wasn't used to having. Anticipation and hope. She hadn't felt so sure of something in a long time.

"Christine, come help bring in the groceries!" her mother yelled from the kitchen.

She logged off of the site and left her bedroom. _I'll be back._

* * *

If Christine thought it took forever to create her profile page, then Erik thought it took him at least twice as long as that.

He was so unsure of it all. He'd never had any experience in analyzing the good and interesting qualities about himself. All he knew was the mask and his music. But, he definitely couldn't include the mask in his profile, nor could he include his music. Both would reveal far too much.

This, to him, was just a way to sate his boredom, anyway. There was nothing more to it. He would email some random person and force himself to appear normal.

_Wait, no…_

A 'random' person was not what Erik wanted. He wanted to email someone with interests that related to his own. A 'random' person would, no doubt, only irritate him. He didn't want this activity to be a waste of time.

When his profile was complete, the site informed him that he could now search for individuals that he had things in common with.

In fact, there was a box to click that would enable the site's administrators to pick out people that were a good match.

His eyes scanned two words: 'Interested in…' Meaning, did he want to interact with men or women? Without a moment's hesitation, he clicked the box marked 'women'.

Then, he clicked the box that allowed the site the privilege of picking out women that met his criteria.

Hundreds of names filled the screen…

* * *

Christine parked her car in the driveway and stepped inside the house as if it was her home, but that wasn't the case.

She entered quietly and looked at her watch. _10:30 am_. She knew exactly where to go. With a smirk, she reached the stairs and ascended them slowly trying not to make a sound.

_3rd door on the left…_ She wished to laugh deviously but kept it inside.

Christine made it to the anticipated doorway and grinned. _Perfect.. Still sleeping.._

So, with an extraordinary amount of energy, she ran, jumped on the bed, and let out a very loud scream.

"OHMYGOD!" Meg Giry yelled before falling out of the bed and quickly jumping to her feet. She looked around frantically until her eyes found Christine, who was lounging on her bed smiling. "Christine Dupree, you are crazy!" Her hands turned into fists.

Christine was very pleased with herself. Meg's current haphazard appearance caused her to laugh hysterically. It was such a different look for her, because she normally looked nothing less than perfect.

"You could have killed me!"

"Oh, please, Meg.." she said between laughs.

"Seriously! People have died… Haven't you ever heard the phrase, 'scared to death'?"

Christine rolled her eyes. "I didn't scare you. I just surprised you." They were staring at one another until Christine suddenly made a funny face.

Meg couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you so happy? I haven't seen you like this in forever! It's usually _me _who does these kind of things." She yawned. "How are you so full of energy this early?"

Christine responded to the second question she asked. "This early? It's 10:30! It's almost lunch time. So, let's go somewhere to eat! Please? I'm starving!" She stood from the bed.

Meg took the opportunity and lay back down, burying her face in the pillow so that Christine could only see her long blonde hair. "Just give me like… three more hours.."

Christine shook her head. "No. Get up, get up!" She poked her friend until she could take it no longer.

"Ok!" Meg yelled. She stood from the bed. "I'm up. Happy?"

"Very," Christine replied while smiling.

"What's gotten into you?" Meg asked quizzically. "You haven't been this energetic in a while.."

"It's summer!" Christine announced the two words as if they were gold.

"Yeah, a time for rest."

She laughed. "No, Meg, a time for fun!"

Meg shook her head. "Whatever, Christine.." She turned and grabbed some clothes from her closet before locking herself in the bathroom her get ready.

* * *

So many women… Too many choices… Erik was becoming impatient. Yet, he could not move away from the screen. _Is there any way to minimize the list? _

Yes, there was a way. 'Advanced Search' had the choice of 'age range'. Erik thought about it for a while. _I do not want a child, nor do I want someone older than I am…_ There was the age range of 18-25, and Erik clicked on it.

_Good lord.._ It only reduced the number by about two hundred. There were still almost five hundred choices. _This is ridiculous! _

There was one more way to minimize the number. It made Erik a little nervous, for it was residence range. It meant, how far away did he want the person to live. _I should probably choose 'within over 1000 miles..'_ But, he couldn't. For some reason, his heart was telling him to choose the closest range. 'Within 50 miles or less'.

So, he clicked it. Only about one hundred choices showed up. Most of them had profile pictures, which disgusted Erik. _Damn them and their ability and wish to show themselves off!_ Since he could do no such thing, jealousy caused him to be angry that others could.

There were some without pictures, though. _Perhaps, they would be more interesting to look into._ He clicked on a profile and began reading what they had to offer and if they were interesting enough to suit him.

Profile after profile.. No one passed his test. _Trashy, too self-centered, too giddy, too depressing, too angry…_ It seemed there wasn't a decent woman within fifty miles.

But then, one profile caught his attention. A girl named Christine who lived in Richmond, Virginia. _Just like me_..

He read carefully but noticed she didn't divulge too much. There was no last name given. There was nothing on her appearance in any way. That intrigued him.

It showed that she was very into music. She enjoyed singing classically and wanted to major in vocal performance. She was a bit of a loner and loved to sing, read, and play video games in her spare time. There was a list of some of her favorite music, movies, and books. Erik thought she had good taste.

One interesting thing was that she was there for the same reason as he. She was bored and found the site through an Internet ad.

From what he could tell, she was just what he was looking for. Only, there was a problem. The girl was eighteen, just out of high school. She was working as a waitress for a year before attending college.

_She is so young.. I am twenty-seven, and she is still in her teens. But, perhaps age should not matter. From what I am reading, she has good grammar and vocabulary, unlike the others I have read._

He kept her profile page on the screen and stood from his chair. _Maybe I should give this some more thought. _

Erik left the room. He walked to his den and treated himself to a glass of wine while thinking about the website called Pen-a-Pal.

* * *

Christine and Meg were seated in Starbuck's.

"So yeah, I think this Pen-a-Pal thing could be cool. It'll help to pass the time, at least," Christine said while sipping her Mocha Frappuccino.

Meg wasn't too sure. "Christine, those dating sites are pretty dangerous."

"This isn't a dating site," she said defensively. "It's a place to get to know someone through email. There's not even a chat room." She wasn't going to let Meg ruin this for her. She wasn't going to let _anyone _ruin this for her.

"Still, though.. You're never sure of anything with people on those sites. You could think you're talking to a hot guy when, really, it's some eighty-year-old woman."

"I doubt that," Christine said. "I would know if that happened."

"Oh, you're so naïve sometimes. You've gotta be careful, Christine." Meg really sounded worried.

"I'll be fine, Meg." Christine sounded very sure of herself.

Realization suddenly dawned on Meg. "You think you're going to find some special guy.. or even your soul mate on this site, don't you?"

Christine couldn't lie. "You never know. It could happen."

The blonde knew her friend was a day dreamer. She imagined there was some perfect guy out there just for her. And, she believed she could find him. Meg had been with enough guys to know that they could say they were 'perfect', but they most certainly weren't. She also knew Christine was too trusting. "You've got to promise me you'll be careful, Christine. There are a lot of liars in this world. And, I'm not going to be here to make sure you're making good decisions."

That made Christine sad. Meg was leaving to visit her father for the summer. He lived in California. After the summer, she would leave her again to go to college. Christine envied her. _She has a father. She has no problem when it comes to money. She is going to college._ But, she couldn't and wouldn't let it affect her. Meg couldn't help it that she was lucky. "I'll be fine. Seriously, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"Well, you'd better." Meg was more than a little worried about her friend. If anything were to happen to her because of this website, she'd never be able to forgive herself, especially since she knew about the site and could, perhaps, have prevented her from getting involved. But Christine was Christine. When she wanted something badly enough, there was nothing to stop her.

* * *

Christine went straight to the computer when she got home. Right when she logged onto the Pen-a-Pal site, a box appeared on the screen informing her that she had an email.

Excitement and nerves coursed through her veins as she opened it.

The sender was some guy named Erik… She immediately began reading the email's contents.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Erik began his second glass of wine but stopped after a few sips. He had initially planned to drink until he was quite intoxicated, but his intellect denied him the opportunity. He would not be a carefree drunk as he normally was, he realized. _Not this time… Damn that website!_

_Pen-a-Pal has hypnotized me, and against my will. I should have known… Music should be enough! _He placed the glass on a table. _Why isn't music enough anymore?_

His fists clenched. _Maybe I will have that contraption destroyed! _ His fists unclenched after giving that some thought. _I have no wish to do such a thing. _

His thoughts moved to the girl on the site, Christine. A battle ensued in him whether to communicate with her or cancel his Pen-a-Pal account altogether.

It would have been easy to cancel his account. But, Erik never did anything the easy way. Experience had taught him that easiness was cowardice. _My entire life has been a challenge, and I have no intention of changing that. _A small voice in the back of his head whispered, _Nor do I know how to change it…_

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Nadir walked into the room and made himself comfortable on an upholstered chair.

Nadir studied his friend. "And, how are you, Mr. Wellington?" he asked lightly.

Erik gritted his teeth. "Do not use that name in my presence, Kahn."

"Very well," Nadir replied nonchalantly. He knew that Erik did not enjoy the pseudonym unless it was for business. The name belonged with his music, and that was all. "You are usually with your music around this time. Why the change?"

Nadir was a smart man. Erik would not have hired him if he were anything less than a genius. So, because he was so smart, Nadir knew his schedule as if it were his own. It sometimes surprised Erik knowing just how aware Nadir was.

Erik thought his meddling ways were quite annoying. "I decided to take a break," he replied shortly. "How did it go today?" he asked.

It sounded like Erik really didn't care but asked the question just to change the subject. "Well, your piano sonata has been published. And your opera, Narcissus, is being looked at by the Metropolitan Opera. That is quite an honor, Erik." He wanted his friend to fully understand his greatness to society, but he knew he never would.

Erik shrugged. He truly did not care. He stood. "Would you like some wine?" It sounded as if he intended on preparing and giving him a glass.

Nadir sighed thinking of Erik's obvious disinterest in his success. _He will never understand._ "Sure," he replied referring to the wine.

Pointing towards the bar, Erik said, "The bottle is there," before leaving the room.

Nadir only shook his head and stood from his sitting position to get it himself.

* * *

Erik sat in his computer chair and stared at the site that was still up on the screen. _I could be doing the wrong thing.. _He realized that 'Pen-a-Pal' was not intended to be a big deal, but the whole thing still frightened him. _What if I reveal too much of myself?_ _I can usually tell if I am making a mistake, but I am unsure this time._ That knowledge frustrated him to no end.

He hesitantly put his hand on the mouse and moved it until it hovered above the box marked, 'Log Off'. But, he then removed his hand from the mouse and ran his fingers through his hair sighing. _Why is this so difficult?_

A voice in Erik's head was urging him to email Christine. _What's the worst that could happen? She may not respond. And, if that is the case, you can return to your music and pretend this never happened._

"Alright," he said aloud finally giving in. His hand returned to the mouse, and he clicked the box marked, 'Send an email to Christine!'.

A screen came up revealing a large white section for text. _But, what will I type? What in the world should I allow her to read? _This was far more difficult than composing music, he realized. Social skills were not Erik's forte. _Something short._ _Yes, that is it. I will not elaborate on anything. It will be short and to the point. If she does not reply, then I will know that this entire occurrence has been a waste of my time._

"**_Dear Christine,"._ **He held down the 'backspace' button until the words were gone knowing they weren't a good beginning. _Think of something original, Erik. Think.. think.._

_**Hello, Mademoiselle,". **No! No, no, no! That will not do._ He strummed his fingers against the desk thinking. _Maybe I will just speak my mind. I honestly do not know how to begin._

Finally knowing what to put, he began concentrating on each word intently while typing.

* * *

Christine gulped and shakily put her hand on the mouse to click the 'Read' box.

When the email popped up, she saw that it was short.

She read it carefully.

**_I am unsure of a proper greeting. My name is Erik. I am new to this website, just as you are. Your profile shows that we have similar interests, and I discovered that we are members of this site for the same reason. We are bored. If you wish to respond, view my profile before doing so. It seems that I am unsure of a proper ending. _**

**_-Erik_**

She read it three times. Three times without a pause in between. Then, her eyes left the screen and she stared at the wall wearing a blank expression. _Who is this guy? To tell the truth, I kind of thought every guy on this site would be stupid after what Meg said. I thought there would be bad sentence structure, bad grammar, bad spelling… _

_But, this guy has none of that._

She twirled one of her long brown curls thinking of what to do. _Reply? Yes, of course I will. Just, what will I say?_ Christine could tell he'd had trouble with words, but his message was still interesting. _I mean, I read it three times!_ Although, she didn't really understand why it caught her interest in such a strong way. _Probably, because it's the first message I've ever received on this site… Duh.._

While thinking, she stood up and walked to the kitchen to get some orange juice.

"Hey, Chris," Brian said. He was in the kitchen, too.

"Do you do anything other than eat?" she asked laughing.

"Nope," he replied with a grin.

"Do you work today?"

"Yep. You?"

"No, not today. Tomorrow, though." She sounded so sad about the fact that she had to go to work.

Brian sighed and put down the Pringles he'd been eating. "You don't like working, do you?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I have to do it."

He stood in silence. "Hmm.. No, you don't."

_What?_ "Brian, _you_ can't even go to college because of the money!"

"Chill.. Look, if I _really_ wanted to go, I'd go."

"What?" she asked surprised. They'd talked about their college plans before, but the last time they did he was still saving up to go. "Y- you don't want to go to college?"

His eyes closed for a second. "No. I don't." She looked shocked. "I have a stable job now. Sure, I saved up for two years to go, but I just don't care anymore."

"Why?" she asked softly in disbelief.

Now, he was aggravated. "Forget about me, Christine! I just don't want to go!" She still looked so confused. "Look, let's focus on you. You want to go to college. But, you don't like your job. If you don't like your job, then you're going to lose your whole drive to actually get a degree."

"Have you told Mom that you don't want to go?" she asked, as if she hadn't heard him say that he didn't want to talk about himself.

He did the same thing- He pretended like he didn't hear her. "So, we're going to get you another job." He looked determined.

Christine was just stuck on the thought of him not getting an education. _He was always so smart in high school…_ But, his last words cut through her thoughts. "What? A new job? I can't quit my job!"

"Why couldn't you just consider it a transfer?"

"Because, I don't have another job to _transfer_ to!"

He hit his forehead jokingly. "That's the whole point, Christine." Her lips pursed. "Look, you like singing. And, you're really good at it. So, you need to sing! Seriously, it would help get you ready for college."

"I'm getting a voice teacher after I get about two months' pay. That will get me ready for college."

"Getting a job singing couldn't hurt, though, could it?" He seemed to be amused.

Christine found nothing funny. "I'm a _classical_ singer, Brian. I really seriously doubt I could get a job singing classically without a degree."

"What? That's ridiculous!"

"No, it's not. Sure, I could sing at a church or something, but I need a job that pays." She thought about that. "Ok, so churches do pay sometimes, but I need something secure that pays well."

Brian shook his head. "Whatever." He paused before saying, "Ok, so I've thought of a job you'd be good at."

With a sarcastically anxious voice, Christine exclaimed, "Oh, please tell me! I'm _dying_ to know!"

He glared at her. "You'll be thanking me later.. Drum roll, please…" He watched her roll her eyes and grinned before exclaiming, "The Macaroni Grill! You remember when that opera singer guy came to our table and sang to you for your birthday, don't you? You loved it!"

Her mouth opened to contradict what he was saying, but words wouldn't come. Instead, she considered it. _Not a bad idea.. Why didn't I think of it a long time ago?_

Brian could see that she didn't hate it, so he continued, "You've been working at the same place since you were sixteen. Why don't you try something new? You know you want to.."

Christine's lips curled upward after a moment. "You're right. I do want to," she admitted.

"Alright!" he shouted triumphantly.

"_But_, what if they're not hiring?"

He seemed to think that was insane. "I'm pretty sure they'd hire you. When they hear you sing, they won't be able to say no. Trust me, and stop being so unsure of yourself," he commanded before playfully punching her in the arm and leaving the kitchen to get ready for work.

Christine just stood in the kitchen leaning against a counter. _Hmm.._ Forgetting about the initial reason of coming to the kitchen in the first place, she returned to her computer without the glass of orange juice.

"Ok," she said aloud. Staring at the screen, she clicked the 'Reply!' box.

_Now, what to type…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Christine pondered over what to type but stopped after thinking of something. _It'd probably help if I were to look at his profile.. He even asked me to in his email. Wow, I'm stupid. _

After viewing the profile's entirety, she found that it didn't help as much as she thought it would. She did find, however, that he was extremely into music. Classical, actually. That made her happy.

But, the problem still remained. She pretty much knew nothing about him. _That will just have to change._ She began typing slowly and carefully.

* * *

_'A mad, mad lake of luck runs through the heart. Help my soul to realize truth, before luck leaks in blood…'_

Erik jotted the lyrics down. Yet more to his latest creation, a musical called, 'Tribulation'. He found the music less difficult to write than the lyrics. Sure, he could put beauty and heart in the notes. The trouble came when inputting that same amount of beauty into words, _what people actually understand_.

He'd been sitting at his piano for hours refusing to return to the computer. It would only bring about humility, he knew. _Emailing her was not a good idea. _Not receiving a return message would sadden him, although he continued to lie to himself by acting like it wouldn't.

_I've suffered too much rejection in my lifetime. This, too, will be considered as such._

He heard footsteps approaching and sighed. "What is it, Nadir?"

"I've made dinner. Do you want me to bring you some?" He already knew the answer. _Why do I even try?_

"No." He listened as Nadir dejectedly left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Erik stood and left the room, as well. His legs had a mind of their own, it seemed, for he ended up in a chair facing the computer. Unfortunately, he saw his masked reflection in the black but mirror-like screen and froze. _I am a fool. I am a monstrous, weak fool who can never fully accept my place in society. 'My place' being a lonely good-for-nothing man. Failure after failure.. And, I keep coming back for more. I am a fool._

He turned the machine on, though. His hands had a mind of their own, just as his legs did.

As the computer started up, Erik stood and prepared himself a glass of brandy. _I will not continue without liquor to soothe the pain I will soon suffer._

He sat back down and took his first swallow of the caramel colored drink waiting while the Internet homepage loaded.

_No emotions.. No feelings.. I will not care!_

He typed in the web address and logged into his account.

A box indicating that he had an email appeared. Erik blinked in surprise. He tensed before opening the message. It was from Christine! _What? S-she replied? How bizarre. _He had prepared himself for rejection, but he hadn't prepared himself for acceptance. _Wait! It could be a message saying to never contact her again._ He gulped. _That would be worse than her not replying._

After having too many negative thoughts, he finally read the email.

**_Well, just like you, I don't know of a 'proper' greeting. As you know, I'm Christine. I looked at your profile, and I agree. It does seem like we have similar interests. I'm actually shocked that we do enjoy some of the same things. I don't know many people who place classical as their favorite music genre. I would like to continue emailing you. I feel like I should admit, though, that I've never done this sort of thing before. I do know, however, that I would like to know more about you. First question: Do you just like to listen to classical music, or are you involved with it more personally? Well, I hope we can continue to email one another. If you don't want to, I'll understand. _**

**_–Christine_**

Erik read it again and again. He couldn't get enough of it. _She thinks that I may not continue emailing… How completely and totally surprising! How wrong I was. _A bitter thought crossed his mind. _She does not realize what she has gotten herself into. _

He pointed to the mask on his face and exclaimed aloud, "You are communicating with a monster!" And, he laughed maliciously.

Coincidentally, it was at that moment that Nadir walked into the room. "I brought you some dinner, whether you want it or not." And, it was then that he knew he'd entered the room at the wrong time.

Erik turned towards him, eyes glaring. "Do you not know how to knock?"

Nadir's brow furrowed. "What are you doing?"

He smirked underneath the mask. "_That_ is none of your concern."

"I'm just surprised you aren't with your music, that's all."

"Music is not my life, Nadir." Erik's eyes widened at his own words. _What have I just said? My god, what is wrong with me?_

Nadir's eyes also widened, his brow furrowing further. _Perhaps, I shouldn't continue talking. I'll give him time to think of what he has just said. Allah only knows what he's doing…_ "Well, I'll leave you to whatever you're doing.." He paused. "Remember to eat."

Erik was still in shock as Nadir left the room. He tried to justify his actions. _I can have more than one hobby, can I not? I can continue emailing her, **and**_ _I can compose. It is not difficult!_

So, giving into his justifications, he began typing a reply email to the girl called Christine.

* * *

"I'm going to miss you, Meg," Christine said hugging her friend. It was 7 pm, and Meg was catching a plane to California at 8:30.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Christine. You'd better be good." She gave her friend a stern parental look and then smiled.

"I will be. You be careful, and we'd better talk on the phone some."

"We will. Definitely! I'll see you in August." Meg hugged her once more.

_Then, you'll go to college,_ Christine thought with jealousy. She waved goodbye sadly as Meg got into her car and drove away.

She stood still in Meg's driveway for a few minutes before sighing and returning to her car. _It's time to get that job._ She drove to the Macaroni Grill feeling sorry for herself, although she knew it was wrong.

* * *

Erik returned to his piano after sending the email, though he couldn't play. Basically, he sat on the bench and got lost in deep thought.

Two hours passed. Not many people would be able to sit in place on a hard bench just thinking for such a long time. But, Erik was unique.

He finally stood and returned to the computer. Expecting to have an email waiting to be read, he signed into his account.

He was wrong, though. No email.

Erik couldn't understand it. _It has been two hours! She has had plenty of time to reply! She lied! Damn her for what she has done!_ He'd gone as far as to say that music was not his life. She'd brought that out of him!

He felt he owed Nadir an apology for his actions, which was quite unusual.

But, Erik always acted on his feelings. So, he left to find his friend.

* * *

Christine finished filling out the Macaroni Grill application and handed it to a waitress.

"We'll look it over and get back to you," the waitress said with a smile.

"Thank you," Christine politely said, although she was already feeling like they would never get back to her.

When she returned home, her brother was in the kitchen eating.. as always. "Hey, Chris."

"How was work?" she asked while putting her purse down.

"It was great, but it made me hungry."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I applied at the Macaroni Grill."

Brian noticed that she didn't sound happy about it. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "Nothing… It's nothing.." She turned to get a glass of water. "What's for dinner?"

He ignored the question. "No, seriously, what's wrong?"

Christine sat at the kitchen table. "Well, let's see.. My best friend left to see her dad, when we don't even have one. She's going to college.. unlike me, I don't have any friends but her, and I probably won't get that job. So, it'll be just as you said. I'll stay with the job that I have now and won't go to college. I'll lose my drive." She was breathless by the end of her rant.

Brian became sad just listening to his sister. "Whoa, Chris.. It's going to be ok. You're going to get that job, and you're going to go to college. Wanna make a bet on it?" He grinned.

Christine found the look on his face to be contagious and mimicked it. "I don't have any money to bet, so I'll just hope that you're right."

He smiled and changed subjects. "Now, you want to know what's for dinner… Mom said to eat whatever we could find. She's taking a nap."

She felt as if she never saw her mother anymore. "Well, hmm.. Do we have any Easy-Mac?"

"Yeah," he replied dully having eaten too much of it lately.

They ate in almost complete silence, so Christine finished quickly.

She headed to her computer and found that the excitement she hadn't felt since the last time she used the machine had returned. _Please let me have an email from him.. _

And, much to her happiness, she did! _This is just what I need! ... I hope._

**_Hello, Christine. I am glad you wish to continue emailing. I agree with your statement. There truly are not many people who enjoy classical music anymore. The music in our world has changed considerably. As for your question, I do have a more personal relationship with music. I listen to it, compose it, sing it, and play it. I am a tenor, and I play the piano, violin, and cello. But, enough of me. You have an operatic voice, I see. Have you been in or seen any operas? _**

_**Until I receive a reply **_

_**Erik**_

Christine smiled after reading it. _He sounds so talented!_ But, she still heard Meg's words in her mind. _'You're never sure of anything with people on those sites.'_ She hated not being able to trust anything. She hated having to always be so pessimistic.

But, life never gave her anything to be optimistic about.

* * *

"Nadir," Erik announced as he entered his friend's wing of the mansion, the den to be exact.

Nadir was surprised, to say the least, to see him. "Erik, what brings you to these parts?"

The masked man noticed that he was as cheerful as ever. It always disgusted him. "I am just… Well, I have come to inform you of what I have been doing. You are the publisher of my music, after all. You have reason to know why I am not composing."

"It's ok, Erik. Really, what you do is your business, not-"

"No, music is both of our careers. You expect me to compose, and I expect you to publish."

Nadir couldn't deny that.

"I came across a website called, Pen-a-Pal. You see, there are many members on the website. I made a profile and searched for a person who shares my interests. I found one. A girl. I emailed her, and she actually replied!" He was still shocked over such a thing.

Nadir knew this was a big deal for his friend. He was so glad that Erik was communicating with someone! It was a miracle!

"I have emailed her again, but she has not replied. I gave her two hours! She has led me on in the worst way, Nadir. She took me away from my music!" Erik was furious.

_I should have known. Nothing can ever be completely well with Erik. It is impossible. _"You have only given her two hours? She has probably been doing other things. I'm sure she hasn't been sitting in front of the computer awaiting your email.."

He spat, "You bring up a good point. She has a _life_! Unlike me, she has probably been outdoors today! I will not envy her, though! I have my music. That is all I need." He crossed his arms against his chest.

_He is sulking. Just great.._ Nadir thought sarcastically. "Check to see if she has replied later. I'm sure she will, eventually."

"We will see," Erik replied distantly. Then, he left the room and headed for the computer, once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Erik sat at the computer with his third glass of brandy. He decided that a feeling of intoxication would be much more welcome than humility. Really, that feeling was becoming quite old. Of course, he felt it everyday due to appearance, but this added punch in the stomach due to a girl and the Internet was even more shameful.

_And, I am just increasing this shame, _he thought while typing in his Pen-a-Pal user name and password. _Weak, weak, weak…_

Before the page could load completely, Erik turned his head away from the screen and focused on the painting, Starry Night, hanging on one of the walls. It sometimes surprised him that he wasn't put in an insane asylum just as the artist of the painting, Van Gogh, was.

Erik shook his head and hesitantly turned back towards the screen. His eyes widened, and a gasp escaped his lips unwillingly. He had an email. _Sh-she replied. _His heart was pounding wildly.

He clicked the box to open the message with a shaky hand.

_**Hi, Erik. I'm so glad you want to continue emailing. It sounds like you're quite the musician. You do everything! I feel so inadequate, since I only sing. You ask if I've been in or seen any operas. No, I haven't. Honestly, I don't think I'm talented enough to be on stage. I was in some musicals in high school, but I couldn't be in any sort of 'real' production. As for seeing an opera, I would love to. I just can't afford it. I wish that were different. Have you seen or performed in any? **_

_**I know I'm about to change subjects, and I'm sorry for what I'm about to say, but I feel like opening up to you. Ok, have you ever felt like your life is really unfair? I mean, not just because of something trivial. What if you can't help it? What if your life is, somehow, out of your control? I won't give details. I won't bore you in that way. I just needed to get it out. I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't want to know any of that. So, moving on.. I like the questions we seem to be asking at the end of our emails. One a message, maybe? I'm really interested in knowing more about your skills in music. What kind of music do you compose? Well, I hope I haven't scared you off or anything. Thanks for reading! **_

_**-Christine**_

Erik couldn't believe what he had read. The message contained a startling revelation. _We are more alike than I thought... _

It was almost frightening how familiar her words were. _"Have you ever felt like your life is really unfair?... What if you can't help it?"_ The words caused him to let out an uneasy chuckle.

He touched the problem, which was the mask on his face, hesitantly while his curiosity began to increase. _How could life possibly be unfair for her?_ He knew her life couldn't compare to his own. Nothing could be _that_ unfair.

If the fact didn't remain that she had never seen him, he would have been furious. _There is no way she has experienced the pain and suffering that I have. _But, he couldn't erase the thought that was, _And yet, I wish to know of what she has gone through._

* * *

Christine undid the top three buttons of her white blouse having just left her work place, the restaurant, Ruby Tuesday's. She was hot, sweaty, tired and just wanted to sleep.

But, not before checking Pen-a-Pal. _I've become totally addicted._

She drove quickly and was in front of her computer within ten minutes' time. _Please let there be a message.. Please let there be a message.._

The homepage appeared, and there was… no message. _No!_ Sighing, Christine signed out, realized just how tired she was, got ready for bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

The following morning, none other than Christine's mother woke her up. She opened her eyes slowly and frowned. "Long time no see," she said groggily.

"We need to talk," her mother announced.

Christine's brow furrowed, and she sat up. "What about?"

Her mom sighed. "Look, I know we haven't gotten to talk much lately. I'm feeling bad about it."

"Mom, don't feel bad. I understand," she mumbled, although it wasn't the truth.

Her mother shook her head. "You say that now."

Christine's head tilted to one side. "What's happened?"

Her eyes left her daughter's face and stared at the wall. "You deserve to know what I've been doing…" She sighed. "Look, I've been alone for so long, Christine. When your father died, I didn't think I would ever recover."

Christine's face fell. "I remember how depressed you were." _You still are. You have been for the past sixteen years._

"I wasn't a good mother."

Christine cut her off. "You were a great mother." Her words felt like an automatic reflex… Basically, unfeeling.

Her mom couldn't keep it in any longer. "I'm getting married!" She couldn't meet her daughter's eyes.

Christine's eyes widened, and she gasped. "You're _what_?"

Her mother became a little calmer. "I'm getting married. That's what I've been doing. I've been with him, with Jeremy."

"You've been with him, with Jer-…" Christine shook her head back and forth. She thought her mom was still depressed. She'd even said that she was still missing her dad, and that wasn't too long ago! "You've been lying? Every time I ask Brian where you are, he says that you're napping or you've gone to run errands. Why in the world would you lie?"

Her mother shrugged. "What else could I do? There's no way you would accept him."

"And, why not?"

"Well, I-.." Her mother was quick to speak, but this time she didn't know what to say. "I don't know."

Christine stood from the bed. "Well, you're right. I won't accept him! And, it's because of you! How could you just lie like that? God, and you're getting married? He hasn't even seen us! What, were Brian and I just going to be your little secret?" With one last look into her mother's eyes, she yelled, "How could you?"

And, with that, she ran out of the room. In fact, she ran out of the house not even caring that she was barefoot and still in pajamas.

* * *

Erik finished writing the email to Christine and felt like his brain was dead. It was the first time he'd ever had that feeling.

And, it was the first time he'd ever gone to bed before midnight.

The following morning, he was woken by his cell phone ringing. Looking at the clock, Erik found it to be after 10:00 am, which alarmed him. He'd never slept past 7:00.

He ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted the mask on his face a little. It was uncomfortable sleeping with it on, but he refused to remove it except when bathing. Then, without looking at the caller ID, for it wasn't necessary, he answered the call. "Hello, Nadir."

"Erik… There's a bit of a problem here.." Nadir was speaking while cleaning up a terrible mess of spilt coffee.

A growl emerged from Erik's throat. He wasn't exactly a 'morning person'. "What is it?"

The dark skinned man let out a shaky laugh. "Well, I grabbed your newest piece this morning and came here. I got my usual cup of coffee and sat down to look at the music. It was then that my clumsy ways got the best of me. I spilt the coffee all over the music."

Erik groaned. "You are careless." He sighed. "What about the second copy? Can you not use that?"

"I forgot to grab it," Nadir mumbled.

"So, it is here with me," he stated miserably.

"Exactly."

"Well, come get it," he said with a tone that showed he thought Nadir was an idiot.

"The thing is, Erik, I was extremely lucky to get a good parking place this morning. If I were to leave, I wouldn't be so lucky the second time." Nadir's lips curled upward. He hadn't meant to ruin the music, but, at the same time, the idea of Erik escaping the confines of the mansion and breathing some fresh air was well worth his clumsiness.

Erik felt his day getting worse and worse. "So, you expect me to bring it to you."

"Exactly."

"Nadir, I hate you." He was too irritated and tired to think of any intelligent words.

"I know," his friend replied cheerfully.

Erik hung up and began getting ready to leave. He hadn't actually left the mansion in over three months.

When he started the ignition of his black Rolls-Royce Phantom, Erik became a bit nervous. He hated the outdoors during the day, and he hated nerves. _No one can see in. Remember that._ He drove down the long drive way slowly, becoming adjusted to his bright surroundings. _Damn sun.._

Once away from the drive way, though, things got better. It actually felt… nice. Richmond, Virginia was a fairly decent place, he inwardly decided. Nice weather, not much traffic, calm. That was a good word for it- 'calm'.

He stopped when coming to a red light and waited while nervously strumming his fingers against the steering wheel. His eyes scanned his surroundings and found the grass, which he rarely saw, to be interesting. Something else then caught his attention. His brow furrowed.

There was a girl walking barefoot down the sidewalk wearing light blue pajamas. It was an amusing sight. He almost laughed.

Then, as if she could sense his stare, she stopped and turned towards his car. It seemed like their eyes met. His heart stopped beating.

* * *

Christine knew she was wearing pajamas. She knew she didn't have shoes on. She knew she looked like a complete mess. But, she didn't care. She just kept walking getting farther and farther from home.

Her thoughts were on her mother, the liar. She'd never really been close to her mom. It seemed like she was always depressed. Christine couldn't even imagine how elementary school children would handle her teaching in the classroom.

_At least I have Brian._ Brian had always served as a sort of parental figure in her life. Well, that is, until she became a teenager. When that moment in time occurred, it seemed like she had turned eighteen, not thirteen.

She did everything for herself. _I have no reason to be grateful to my mother in any way._ It disgusted her. But deep down, it made her incredibly sad...

Christine suddenly regained a feeling of reality and realized that she was walking the sidewalk of a busy part of the city. A blush rose to her cheeks as she looked around.

Her eyes widened, however, when something she never thought she would see caught her attention. _Whoa!_ It was a Rolls Royce Phantom.

Brian had once been obsessed with cars, and Christine learned the names and looks of many of them. This was about the most expensive of any!

She gazed at it with her mouth gaping open. She couldn't see inside, but she was sure the driver must have been the luckiest man or lady alive.

Christine didn't realize she was dead wrong. She also didn't notice the driver staring at her.

The odd staring contest couldn't last forever, though. When the traffic light turned green, life returned to normal. Neither knew the moment was rare, ironic, and even fate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Erik rolled down the window of his Rolls-Royce Phantom and glared at the man standing outside. "You have put me in a foul mood, Kahn."

_What else is new? _Nadir thought. But, instead of voicing his thought, he merely smiled.

"Stop smiling, you idiot," Erik growled. Then, sighing, he handed his music to Nadir. "Here, take the damn song and do what you want with it."

Nadir frowned. His friend truly had no idea how valuable his compositions were.. "Thank you, Erik. I'm sorry you had to bring it all this way, but I do think it is nice for you to get some fresh air-"

"Yes, yes, alright, I don't care," Erik rudely interrupted. He began to roll up the window but.. A sudden twinge of guilt made its way to his heart. He let out a groan. "I suppose it is nice to drive around the city." Then, he pressed a button to roll up the window fully.

Nadir watched as he drove away. _Drive carefully, _he thought while feeling a fatherly sort of protectiveness over his friend. Of course Erik definitely did not need protection, but, after years of knowing the man, it was hard not to feel such emotions. After all, he had raised him. He shrugged and began to make his way towards his office.

* * *

Christine's sense of reality returned quickly after seeing the Rolls-Royce. A blush immediately made its way to her cheeks as she stopped running and realized she was in nothing but pajamas. There weren't even shoes on her feet. She was on a sidewalk in a busy part of town with cars driving past her. Actually.. _Did one of them just honk at me? _It sure sounded like it. Some little blue Hyundai. Her blush deepened. _Ok, have to go home. Now. _

But she didn't want to go home. Her mother was at home. _Her and her lies.. _She gritted her teeth angrily at the thought. _How dare she decide to marry a guy without telling Brian and I about him! And how is that guy going to feel when he finds out about us? _The latter thought didn't mean much to Christine at the moment. All that really mattered was that her mother had been lying for months.

When Christine thought she was 'taking naps', she was probably sneaking out to see her _fiancé_. When she was supposedly 'running errands', she was probably sneaking around with _him_. Her mother had ruined everything.

Christine sighed wishing her life were different before turning and heading back towards her house.

There was one person she would be glad to see when she got home, and that was Brian. _I wonder how he's handling all of this. Knowing him, he probably didn't handle it as rashly as I have._

Before long, Christine made it to her driveway. She immediately noticed that a certain car was missing. _Mom left.. She's horrible! _Clenching her fists, she walked inside and slammed the door shut. "Brian?" she called while moving towards the kitchen. He was standing by the phone and ran to her when she entered the room.

"Christine!" he yelled frantically before giving her a hug. "Thank god.." Then, he backed away from her. "You scared the hell out of me!" He raised his hand to mess up her already-messy hair. "Where did you go?"

Her hands moved reflexively upward to straighten her hair, and she glared slightly in a teasing sort of way. But the look soon changed to solemnity. "I guess I kind of went overboard.. Wait, do you know?"

Brian nodded. "Yeah," he said softly, referring to the situation with their mother. "I'm actually really pissed about it. But really, where did you go?" He then noticed her clothing and lack of shoes. "Chris, what the hell?"

Christine looked down at the floor feeling foolish. "Well, I sort of got really mad and stormed out. Like, I ran all the way to this really busy part of town.. I think some person honked at me." She suddenly stopped when Brian began laughing hysterically.

"Wait, are you serious?" he asked between laughs. "I can't believe you actually ran that far in pajamas barefoot! What kind of retard are you?"

"Hey!" Christine shouted in annoyance, although she was beginning to laugh, too. "She made me so mad I couldn't think straight.." Suddenly, though, she remembered what really did bring her back to reality and her eyes widened. "Brian, guess what I saw?" she asked excitedly.

Brian rolled his eyes playfully and said, "God only knows.."

Her face brightened as she proudly exclaimed, "I saw a Rolls-Royce Phantom!"

Although life wasn't good due to the fact that their own mother had been lying to both of them about something important, Brian's face did manage to brighten just as much as his sister's. "Really? That's awesome! And the fact that you knew what it was is impressive, I must say." He crossed his arms with a smug expression. "Looks like I taught you well."

They laughed for a few more seconds before calming down. "So," Christine said while looking out a kitchen window. "Where did she go?"

Brian sighed. "She said she was going to look for you."

That made sense. But, "I bet she's lying. You and I both know where she really went. This is going to start happening more and more, right? She's just going to keep telling us lies while sneaking around with some guy we don't even know that is going to be our stepfather!" Her breathing was coming out in spurts after the rant she'd produced.

Brian immediately pulled out a chair from the table and led his sister towards it. "Sit," he commanded. After she complied by sitting, they were silent for a few moments. He patted her shoulder reassuringly and then took a seat across from hers. "It's ok, Chris. Well, I mean.. It will be ok. We've still got each other, right? If it gets too bad, we can move out."

Christine looked at him then. "Yeah right. She wouldn't let us."

"You know what? _She _can't control us, just like we can't control her."

He had a point. Hesitantly, Christine asked, "Are we going to give her a chance. Like, are we going to meet him?"

"I don't know the answer to that," Brian said softly. "Will she even tell him about us?"

"She'd better!"

"But she might not," he said calmly. "We can't control her." After a pause, he continued, "I say we should start looking for an apartment."

Christine groaned and rubbed her forehead. She was sick of all of this. _Life sucks._ "Maybe you're right," she mumbled. They were silent for a while before a sudden urge to check Pen-a-Pal swept through her. She stood. "Um, I'll be back." Without waiting for her brother to speak, she left the room. _Maybe I have an email!_

* * *

Erik returned to the mansion and went straight to his computer. The entire outing made him wish for nothing more than to receive an email from her. It would help get his mind off his own depressing life.

Emailing this girl was having the power to make him feel somewhat human for the first time. For too long he had felt trapped in a sort of prison. All he had was Nadir and music. Not that they did not suffice! No, music was still his utmost priority and Nadir was still the only person he could trust. But to use the Internet in such a way.. to communicate with a human girl.. It was enough to make him feel strangely happy.

So, with excitement, he signed into his account and waited impatiently for the box to appear that would alert him of an email. It never came.

His excitement faded. _Damn. _Erik had to remember Nadir's words, though. Perhaps she hadn't seen his email yet. Perhaps she was busy.

* * *

Christine saw that there was, indeed, an email. She literally jumped excitedly in her chair.

Eagerly, she read its contents.

**Christine,**

**It is a delight to hear from you again. Your email proved to be quite interesting. Please do not feel like you cannot open up to me. Your message was not boring. On the contrary, it was a bit shocking. I can relate to your words. I do not know the circumstances of your current suffering, but I can say that I feel as you feel about life. It can be very unfair. To have any part of any situation out of your control can be both discouraging and infuriating. If you feel like opening up further, do not hesitate to do so. I may not have beneficial advice, but I will listen and do all that I can to help. I will leave it at that.**

**Until I receive a reply,**

**Erik**

After reading the email twice, Christine began to feel a nice sense of peace. There was someone out there who could understand and relate to her life.

Her mind decided without hesitation to do as he said she could. Christine was going to open up to him and explain her ordeal.. all of it.

She clicked the 'reply' button and began typing.

After about an hour, she still hadn't finished. His email was so well-written. Hers would look like a preschooler had written it compared to his. It was embarrassing.

A knock on her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts. "Yeah?" she called in agitation. Christine assumed it would be her mother.

It wasn't.

Brian opened the door and walked in. "Sorry to bother you, but I was getting kind of lonely. Almost made me wish I was at work."

Christine turned towards him. "I'm sorry," she said while feeling horrible. Yet.. She found she couldn't feel too sorry. Pen-a-Pal was important.

"What are you doing, anyway?" he asked curiously while peeking over her shoulder at the computer screen. She'd minimized the webpage, so he could only see her desktop background.

"Just emailing somebody," she replied nonchalantly.

Brian could tell something wasn't right. "Meg?" he asked, trying to figure out who that 'somebody' was.

"No."

She wasn't going to elaborate, which was frustrating. "Who then?"

"Why does it matter?" she asked. _No way am I going to tell him about it. _

Brian sighed. "Look, there's already one person in the family keeping secrets. I don't want you to." That would get to her, he knew.

Christine's eyes widened. The last thing she wanted was to be like her mother. "I'm emailing a guy named Erik."

Now Brian was curious. "Who's that? A guy from work?"

"You ask a lot of questions," she said with a frown.

"Yeah, well, I'm curious."

"Yeah, I can tell." They stared at each other daringly for a while. Brian wasn't going to back down. "Fine," Christine finally surrendered. "So I've been bored lately. A few days ago, I found this site on the Internet called "Pen-a-Pal".

"Oh, no…"

Christine crossed her arms. "Hey, I'm not finished."

"Chris.." There was warning in his tone.

She ignored it. "It took a long time, but I finally found a guy to email. Well, actually, he found me." She could see that he was about to speak, so she loudly continued, "We have a lot in common and he's really nice. I'm not going to stop emailing him, so you can save yourself the trouble of trying to make me."

Brian could see that she really was serious. "Well, fine then. But, just know.. I don't like this. Websites like that are dangerous. I'm not kidding."

"You sound like Meg," Christine blurted out. She instantly wished she hadn't.

"So Meg doesn't approve either." He studied her expression of defiance. "This is bad, Christine." He rarely used her full name unless he was being very serious. "You may think you know this guy, Erik, but you don't. You don't even know if his name really is Erik. You don't even know if it's a 'he'. You don't know what his interests are, you don't know if you have one thing in common-"

"Stop it," Christine said firmly. "Just stop lecturing me." She forced herself to calm down before speaking again. After all, her brother was only trying to look out for her safety.. even if it was meaningless. "I appreciate your concern and all, but don't waste the energy. I'm fine." She nodded encouragingly. "Now, I'm going to continue my email. Why don't you go play a videogame or something? Then you won't be bored."

_It's useless, _Brian thought wearily. "Ok, whatever. I just hope you know what you're doing." Then, he left the room. _I have a bad feeling about it._

* * *

Erik tried not to get too upset about not receiving an email from Christine. She had a life, he didn't. He had to remember that. _No matter, _he thought while trying to brush it off. There were a few compositions rolling through his mind, anyway. _It will help pass the time to do some work. _So he left the room and headed towards his piano.

Five hours passed in what felt like no time at all. Erik was distracted from his work when he heard Nadir enter the room.

"Ah, you are composing," Nadir said approvingly.

"Good observation, old man." Erik was in no mood to talk to him, so he returned to the music on the piano stand. The music was a bit more complex than usual, so it took full concentration.

Nadir noticed this and quietly left the room. He headed towards his wing of the mansion but passed the room that held Erik's computer on his way. _Hmm.. _The dark-skinned man looked east and west before deciding it was safe to enter.

He stared at the computer screen thoughtfully. _Hmm.. _It was the homepage of Pen-a-Pal. _So this is his newest obsession. _Nadir remembered what Erik had told him about the website. He was corresponding with a girl. His eyes had held such joy, something Nadir rarely saw in the man.

Remembering that look in Erik's eyes, Nadir decided he didn't want to invade his friend's privacy, so he quickly left the room.

Erik spent another hour working before becoming bored with it. He'd composed three new pieces and felt each of them were perfect. Now it was time for a glass of red wine… and, hopefully, there would be an email from Christine.

After preparing his glass of wine, Erik sat tensely at the computer and hurriedly signed into his account. _Let there be an email. There must be an email! _

The intended box appeared indicating he did have an email. Erik let out a satisfied sigh and relaxed in his seat. He took a sip of wine before clicking the 'read message' button.

Then, he read.

**Hi Erik,**

**Thank you so much for the email. I really appreciate your words, although I'm sorry that you can relate to what I said. I feel like I can open up to you, and, since you let me know that it's ok if I do, I think I will.**

**I just graduated from high school and am working to raise money for college. I want to major in music, but I think it will take a year to earn enough money (or, at least I hope it only takes one year). I'm not able to ask my mom for help, because we are not wealthy. I grew up without a father. He died when I was really young, leaving just me, my brother, and my mom. I feel like I am complaining a lot about things that aren't really worth the complaint. It's just that I sometimes feel overcome with jealousy and self pity. My other friends don't seem to have the problems I have. They have a father, and they are able to attend college at the usual time. I shouldn't feel sorry for myself, though. Compared to a lot of other people, I'm lucky. Recently, though (today to be exact), I found out that my mom has been lying to my brother and I. We have always thought she was mourning my dad's death, but it turns out she hasn't been. She's fallen in love with a man we haven't met and she is planning on marrying him. He knows nothing about us.**

**So, I suppose those are my only problems. They sound silly, don't they? Well, if you have any advice, it would be greatly appreciated.**

**-Christine**

Erik didn't know how it was possible, but the email had affected him strongly. Of course he couldn't relate to the problems she'd explained, but he was concerned. He was extremely concerned. He wanted to help this girl, to take care of her. Somehow, her words had the power to make him feel emotions he'd never felt before.

After a few minutes of trying to think about and get used to these new feelings, it was decided. He felt a deep yet unexplainable connection with this Christine...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Erik decided that he liked driving around the city, as this was the second time in one day that he was on the road. It helped him think, and that was the only reason.. or so he said. Really, it was nice feeling the outside air and seeing the beautiful surroundings of Richmond, Virginia. But, the reason above all else was that it helped him think.

_Christine.. _She was the topic of his thoughts and the source of his dilemmas. The girl made him feel both happy and irritated, happy because of the impact she'd made in his life but irritated because of the music he was neglecting. She also made him feel a bit foolish. It was like she wasn't real, but at the same time, she was realer than most things in his life.

_She's somewhere in this very city, _he thought while driving. If only he could simply see her from afar… _Something to make sure she is real. _The urge to email her back was almost unbearable, but he first had to think of what to type. And yet, a picture of Nadir scolding him about his obsession with Pen a Pal was rolling through his mind. Of course, Erik didn't care. Nadir held no power over him. He was the publisher of his music, nothing more. _He's also like a father to you, _a small part of his mind reminded. He shook his head and felt like crossing his arms defiantly.

_Enough of this! _Erik turned the car around and headed back towards his mansion to sate his obsessive desires.

* * *

Christine, too, was suffering from her urges. She'd sat at her computer and clicked the 'refresh' button on her Internet more than 100 times throughout the day. The smarter part of her knew he probably hadn't had time to read her email yet, let alone reply to it, but the other more obsessive part couldn't help but wonder if he had replied… over and over again. That part always won.

Afternoon was turning into evening, and Christine sat glaring at her computer screen while pondering over the fact that she had no life. Her thoughts were interrupted when there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Yeah?"

Brian entered the room and shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "Um.. well, I'm not here to talk about your unhealthy hobby, if that's what you're wondering. But it is bad for you," he quickly added. "Mom called my cell phone a second ago. She's bringing the guy over. Just thought I'd warn you ahead of time."

Christine's eyes widened. "She's actually bringing her fiancé here?" He nodded. "What, are we just supposed to eat a nice dinner together and get to know him?" she asked sarcastically. "Does Mom seriously think she can be forgiven so easily? Why didn't you tell her not to bring him?" Truthfully, she'd never been so angry about anything in her whole life. She wasn't usually so rude about things, but with this situation it couldn't be helped.

"Look, I'm not happy about it either, but maybe we should give him a chance. Who knows, maybe he's cool." Brian shrugged.

"Yeah, or maybe he's not," she said pessimistically. "And what if I don't want to give him a chance?"

"Then just stay locked in your room with your dangerous website and sulk," Brian snapped. Then, he sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, Chris. I guess I'm just worried about you. I mean, you're my little sister so I think I have a right to worry when you're spending time doing something that millions of people across the world consider to be dangerous. People get into serious trouble over dating websites."

She tried to suppress her agitation and said, "It's not a 'dating website'. It's a pen pal site. You email someone. There's not a chat room or anything. It's just a simple way to communicate with someone through email."

"Yeah, but there's still ways that random people can find you and email you, right?"

"Well yeah, but that hasn't happened yet.."

"Because you're new to the site," he continued for her. "Just watch out and be careful, ok?" Awkwardly, he mumbled, "I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you and I knew what the cause was and couldn't stop it from happening ahead of time."

Christine sighed. "Brian, I'm fine. Really. And I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I do appreciate your concern, though." Finally surrendering, she asked, "So when's the guy coming over?"

"They're coming for dinner," Brian replied with a smirk. "You were right about the whole, 'we'll eat a nice dinner together' thing."

She let out a dry laugh. "Great. Can't wait," she said with a dull tone.

Brian became hopeful. "So you won't leave me alone with them?"

With a shake of her head, Christine replied, "Nope, I'm in." Her brother left the room, and she turned towards her computer to click the 'refresh' button again while still worrying about her lack of a productive life. Her feelings were right- she still hadn't received an email from him. _I could really use an email from him right about now._

* * *

Erik strummed his fingers against his computer keyboard while thinking. _What advice should I give? _Christine had asked for advice about her problems. Part of Erik had a tendency to think that her problems were trivial, but the other part reminded, _If her problems are so trivial, then why are you having trouble coming up with advice to give her? _

He suddenly smirked. _The different parts of my mind and my thoughts make it so that I feel more insane than if I were to talk aloud to myself. _He laughed out loud, and the sound seemed to echo about the room. It made him frown. _Back to the email, then. _

A loud growl escaped him when he heard a knock on the door. "What?" he barked.

Nadir was somewhat startled by the harsh tone after having heard such genuine laughter moments before. He opened the door slightly. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something. I'm wondering if you've eaten today?" He truly didn't know why he felt so fatherly towards the man, but Nadir had a tendency to worry about him.

Erik turned in his chair to glare at him. _What in the world? _He decided to voice his thought. "What in the world is the matter with you, Kahn? What kind of a question is that?"

He was used to these kinds of remarks. "I'm merely wondering if you've eaten today. If you haven't, you should. It isn't healthy for you to-"

"I've had enough of this. Leave." Nadir paused for a moment before closing the door with a sigh. Shaking his head to erase the stupidity of their brief conversation from his mind, Erik returned to the email and began typing. Perhaps he would have better luck if he were to type ideas and then choose what he liked best.

He had a feeling this was going to take a while.

* * *

7:00 pm came and Christine heard voices coming from the living room. She still hadn't received an email yet, and it was having to power to infuriate her. Perhaps her fury was also due to her mother's situation, though. She stood and sighed. _It feels like it's been forever since I sent that email. Maybe I won't have to spend much time with these people so that I come back and refresh the page some more. Or what if he doesn't email me at all? What if I scared him away? _She frowned really wishing she hadn't just had that thought.

Christine hurriedly changed into fresh clothing before slowly leaving her bedroom and walking towards the living room. As soon as she entered, she wished to go back to her room. Her mother and a man she'd never seen before were seated side by side on the couch with glowing faces. Brian was seated on an armchair forcing a smile.

"Christine!" her mother announced with a smile. Both she and the man stood. "This is Jeremy."

Jeremy grinned and held out his hand to shake hers. "It's really great to meet you, Christine," he said while shaking her hand. "You're beautiful. You look like your mother."

One of Christine's eyebrows rose. He was sucking up big time, and she found that she rather hated it. "It's nice to meet you, too," she lied.

They ate dinner in the kitchen looking like some picture-perfect family. Taking a closer look, however, one could see that neither Christine nor Brian were liking this one bit. They nibbled on their Chinese takeout while staring at the way their mother giggled and flirted with Jeremy. It was disgusting.

"Well, that was good. See you later," Christine said after swallowing her last bite of food. She quickly left the room and distantly heard Brian make up some excuse to leave the table. They both walked to her bedroom and shook their heads at one another.

"That was gross," Brian said.

"You're telling me. They were pretty much all over each other. They're like a couple of teenagers." Christine unthinkingly sat on her computer chair and clicked the 'refresh' button on her computer. She then literally squealed. _He emailed!_

Brian's eyes widened. "Shut up, Chris! They'll hear you and we'll have to see them again." Then, knowingly, he said, "You got an email, didn't you?"

Christine became defensive while still staring at the computer screen. "Yeah, I did. And you can't stop me from reading it."

"I never said I was going to try to stop you. Just be careful." He was about to leave the room when, suddenly, he thought of something. "Chris, have you gotten a call from Macaroni Grill yet?"

She removed her hand from the mouse and turned towards him. "No, I haven't," she replied negatively. "They're probably not going to call. They probably have enough employees."

He refused to stoop down to her gloomy level and stayed optimistic. "They're going to call. Just give them a little more time. I bet they'll call tomorrow."

"I have to work tomorrow."

"Yeah, me too. You can still answer their call, though. Because they _will _call." Brian was determined to make her understand. "What time do you work?"

"3:00. You?"

"10:00 in the morning. That means I have to wake up early," he whined.

"Sorry," Christine said before turning back towards the computer. _Come on, Brian, leave.. _She hated pushing him away, especially when it was obvious he had nothing better to do, but she really wanted to read her email. The fact that he was disapproving of the whole thing made it so that he couldn't be around when she read her email. It was more his fault than hers.

Brian left without another word while hoping his sister knew what she was doing.

Christine smiled and opened the email once she heard her bedroom door shut. Then, she focused on reading.

**Christine,**

**I feel I must start by expressing my concern. No one your age deserves to have so many hardships placed upon them. It is your first summer after graduating from high school. You deserve to be having fun. You do not need to be worrying so much. However, I know firsthand what it is like to live life without a parent. It makes life difficult, and I agree that it is unfair. **

**My advice is to try to find the good in life and to stop caring so much. From what I can tell through our previous emails, you care deeply about things that are, quite frankly, out of your control. It has to be exhausting for someone like you who should be so full of life. The fact that you cannot go to college until you earn enough money is unfortunate, but I can also find good in the situation. It proves that you are an independent, dedicated, self-sufficient young woman. You are capable of fending for yourself, which is better than most. Many people are too dependent upon others. You are strong, and I can tell that you are intelligent. Whenever you feel jealousy or self-pity, try to remember the positive qualities you possess. **

**Now, about your mother. She has made a huge mistake by keeping such a secret from you and your brother. I would not forgive her so easily. If you are willing, I would like for you to update me on this as the situation transpires further.**

**I do hope my advice has not offended you. By the way, I believe majoring in music is a wise decision, although I have not heard your voice. You will succeed, Christine. You will.**

**Until I receive a reply,**

**Erik**

Christine nodded in certain places while reading the email. He was right about everything. His advice hadn't offended her at all. On the contrary, it made her want to follow it.

She knew she had to email him back immediately. He'd helped her a great deal, and she wanted to thank him. The last part of his email was interesting, too. _'I believe majoring in music is a wise decision, although I have not heard your voice.' _Christine wondered if he would like to hear her voice, or if he was just being polite. She had a few recordings of herself singing solos from high school. It was tempting…

Erik's emails always caused her to want to open up to him. It would be _really _opening up to send him a recording of her voice, but she wanted to know his thoughts. _For some reason, I feel like he could critique my singing, and I feel like I would trust his critiques. _It's true, she didn't know him beyond their few emails, but her feelings were strong. She could trust this man.

Christine began composing a new email.

* * *

Erik was satisfied with the email he'd sent. He sat back comfortably in his computer chair and sighed. _It seems that I am better at giving advice than I am at dealing with my own wretched problems. How strange.. _The part of his mind that had previously thought her problems were trivial was wrong. _Her problems are not trivial. They are perfectly sound and reasonable. I can only hope my advice helps her. _

After a few moments, he stood. _Well, now that that is finished.. _Even though Pen a Pal was his current obsession, music still coursed through his veins. He still lived for it and it alone. He hadn't given it up, he'd just been preoccupied. Erik left the room after one last glance at the computer screen.

It seemed like he hadn't played in days, although that technically wasn't the case at all. His fingers strolled up and down the piano keys. The fact that he had recently been spending so much time away from his compositions pained him and made him think twice about continuing with his other hobby… _It is keeping me from my work. It is taking up too much of my time. Nonsense! _a part of his mind interrupted. _I should be able to continue with both my job and my hobby. How foolish of me to think otherwise. _

He forced himself to relax, and almost instantaneously, a new composition formed in his mind. He began playing and writing the notes on paper.

Nadir let out a satisfied sigh when he heard the piano from his place in the kitchen. He had been preparing a meal for Erik, as it would probably be his first one of the day. Erik had returned to reality. It was very good and relieving, in Nadir's opinion. This new hobby, this obsession he seemed to have, was unhealthy and too time consuming, but he knew better than to speak of his thoughts. Erik wouldn't listen. _He would most likely curse at me and shut me out of his life all together. _

For now, he was just glad 'Noah Wellington' was back. Nadir decided to leave Erik's meal in the kitchen. He only hoped his friend would eventually get hungry and see that there was food for him. Perhaps he would even be _thankful_. With a short laugh, he left the room.

* * *

Christine finished her email and read it over several times before nodding with satisfaction. Then, she hesitantly loaded a file of her singing as an attachment before clicking the 'Send' button in the bottom right-hand corner of the email box. _Will he think I am taking things too far? Will he even want to enter my personal life in such a way? _

The words of Erik's email returned to her mind. _'Try to find the good in life and stop caring so much.' _She knew he was right, so she forced herself to stop thinking negatively. _So what if he doesn't like that I sent him my high school solo? It was worth a try. Who knows, he might like it. Yeah, _she thought with a smile. Christine realized it wasn't so bad being optimistic for a change.

With that, she got ready for bed. Before going to sleep, though, she couldn't help but click the 'refresh' button on her Pen a Pal home page a few times, but to no avail.

* * *

Erik finished his newest composition, titled it, and set it aside to give to Nadir in the morning. It was going on 2:00 am, and a sudden overpowering urge to check Pen a Pal returned to him full force. He darted towards the computer room and clicked the 'refresh' button. Indeed, there was an email.

A rare smile came to his lips, and he opened the email to begin reading.

**Hi Erik,**

**I want to thank you so much for your email. Your words meant a lot to me. I'm really sorry you know firsthand what it is like to live without a parent. It is hard and I feel bad that you have to deal with it, too. Your advice was great. It didn't offend me at all. Actually, I have been trying to follow it, even when sending this email. You will read why soon.**

**I am glad you want to hear more about my mom, but tell me at any time if it becomes boring to read. She brought her fiancé over for dinner. His name is Jeremy. I do not like him at all. I could barely stand to watch them while we ate. My brother and I left the table as quickly as we could to get away from it. If I were to describe what they act like, I would have to say that they act like a couple of flirtatious teenagers. It is disgusting. I am trying to follow your advice, though. It would be so easy to get mad about it, but I am trying not to care so much. Who knows, maybe something good could come of it.**

**You will see that there is a file attached to this email. Well, I sent you a recording of me singing. It is a solo I sang in April of this year. I completely understand if you don't want to listen to it. I know it may be stretching the boundaries between our personal lives. Since you are a musician and seem knowledgeable in the field, I thought you could listen to it and critique my voice. You said that my wanting to be a music major is a wise decision. I would like to know if you still believe that after you hear my voice. I must admit that I am incredibly nervous about this. I hope you will tell me the truth, though.**

**I feel like I talk about myself too much. Are there any problems you are dealing with? I could try to give my advice, although it probably wouldn't be as good as yours. Our emails don't have to only be about our problems, though. We can talk about anything and everything if you want. I would love to hear more about you.**

**Thank you again for the advice. You have really helped me.**

**-Christine**

Erik was smiling while he read the first paragraph of the email, he was frowning during the second paragraph, and his eyes lit up when he read the third. He found he couldn't read past the third paragraph because of his eagerness to hear her voice. The idea of her sending him a recording hadn't yet entered his mind, but now that she had, he yearned to hear it.

With great speed, he clicked on the attachment to download the file. Erik waited impatiently while it downloaded. A groan escaped him at how long it was taking, so he decided to distract himself by reading the rest of her email. The fourth paragraph caused his lips to curl upward. _She is just so thoughtful. I am perfectly content reading about her life, and yet she feels that she is being selfish. _His mind whispered, _She is everything a person should be… _He didn't have time to process the dreadful fact that she was asking to hear more information about him because the file finished downloading.

Erik clicked a button to open the file and waited on bated breath while the program he would use to listen to it opened. He truly had no idea what to expect. _I have come to the conclusion that she is a nearly perfect person, but will that perfection carry over to her voice? _

He focused on the sound as a piano began to play the beginning of the song. Immediately, he recognized the piece. It was one that he himself had written! Erik's eyes widened. It caused him to become extremely judgmental. _Will she ruin my creation? _The thought terrified him.

When he knew she was about to come in, his breathing stopped. Then, the most beautiful soprano voice he had ever heard began to sing his composition. The notes were perfectly placed. Her tone quality was pure and exquisite, and she sang with an extraordinary amount of emotion. It was a sorrowful piece, and she sang it as such. How was it possible that the girl was only 18?

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he continued to listen. Erik hadn't ever been very fond of the piece… not until now. Christine's voice soared as the song reached a dramatic crescendo, and she sang the last several notes softly, her voice revealing the fact that she was trying to hold back tears of her own. It called for the singer's heart to be breaking by the end, and Erik let out a quiet sob as he heard exactly that.

When it was over, Erik had to cover his face with his hands to calm his tears. He'd never been through such an emotional experience before, and his feelings were completely foreign to him. And it was all because of Christine. _This girl… No, this woman.. She is the epitome of perfection. _

Was it possible to fall in love with a voice? _Indeed, it is possible._


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Christine had been sleeping so soundly.. but that was before she felt somebody shaking her and calling her name. She didn't even have to open her eyes to know who it was- her mother. Perhaps this 'waking her up' business was becoming a trend, since the same thing had happened the previous morning. This time, however, Christine wouldn't be so nice. "What?" she asked groggily with hostility in her tone.

"I just.." her mother began hesitantly. "What do you think of him?"

"Of Jeremy," she stated before sighing. _She woke me up for _this_? _For a second, Christine didn't say anything. Just as she had thought before and just as Erik had typed in his email to her, she wouldn't forgive her mother so easily. "You want the truth?" Without waiting for a reply, she sat up and said, "I don't like him. He's basically sucking up to Brian and I so that he can be with you without feeling guilty. And you were all over him at dinner. It was gross. I mean, seriously, why would you be that way in front of your own kids?" Christine frowned in a disapproving way with her arms crossed.

Her mother obviously hadn't been expecting an answer like that. "Wait just a minute," she said angrily. "You're not even giving him a chance. You just met him. How can you judge him so quickly?"

Christine wouldn't back down. "Yeah, well, I could say the same thing to you about 'just meeting him'. One second you're single and missing Dad, and the next you're getting married! This isn't even about that, though. It's the _way _you introduced him to us that has made me dislike him! You bring him over, he makes a poor attempt to try to gain our approval, and then both of you are too busy wrapped up in your disgusting relationship to care about Brian and I for the rest of the time. It's just plain rude! How can anyone like somebody who barely makes an attempt to get to know a person after just being introduced?" Christine was fuming but also proud of herself. She knew that what she'd just said was clear and to the point. Her mother wouldn't be able to come up with a decent argument against it.

"Well," she said slowly. "It looks like your mind is made up. But what's going to happen when he becomes your stepfather? Are you just going to ignore him?"

'Stepfather'… Christine could almost laugh at the word. "I will _never _consider that man to be my stepfather. It's obvious he doesn't know how to be a father figure. So yeah, I guess I will just ignore him." Perhaps she was talking too quickly without really thinking things through. She slightly wondered if she was acting irrationally about the whole mess. The thought was distant, though, so she shrugged it off.

Her mother began walking towards the door. "And here I thought you were nicer than this, Christine. I'm disappointed in you."

_Ouch. That kind of hurts. _She wouldn't let her get away with it. "No Mom, you would actually have to _care _to be disappointed. When it comes to this _marriage,_ you don't care about me or Brian. And I don't see any reason to be nice. I don't even know who you are anymore." She decided to make a cold remark, just like her mother had. "You don't even act like a mom to us. You're never around, you're always with _him. _Maybe I should just start calling you by your first name, _Carrie_." That caused her mother to stop walking, but her back was still towards her. "Just go. You've already made your half-hearted attempt of getting me to be on your side. It didn't work."

Carrie winced and walked away, closing the door on her way out.

Christine gritted her teeth and felt like crying over it all. She needed a mother.. but all she had was a woman who only cared about one person, _Jeremy. _It was so depressing. Not only had she lost her father at an early age, but she'd now lost her mother.

_Try to find some good in it, _her mind advised. Her thoughts tried to obey. _At least I have Brian. I don't know what I'd do without him. _She wondered if the woman she had once called 'Mom' was trying to persuade her brother to join her side. _I hope he's on my side.. _Remembering what was said in the email she had received the day before, Christine knew she shouldn't care so much. What's done was done and that was that.

With a shaky breath, she got out of bed and inwardly thanked Erik again for his advice.

_Erik. _Her feet quickly led her towards her computer chair. Christine's previous thoughts were immediately put on hold as she anxiously signed onto her Pen a Pal account. _Come on, come on, let me have an email. Wait_.. She suddenly remembered that she had sent him a recording of her voice. Her hand stilled on the mouse and her excitement faded somewhat as nerves spread throughout her body. She gulped and closed her eyes to prevent herself from seeing.

_Do I want to know? Was it incredibly stupid of me to have sent it? What will he say? _She again ordered herself to stop caring so much. _So what, Christine? You _do _want to know. It wasn't stupid for you to have sent it. It was something you wanted to do. And it solves nothing to try to guess his response. He either liked it or he didn't. Either way, it shouldn't matter so much. If he's a decent human being, then this won't make it so that you two stop emailing. Just open your eyes and look already.. _

Her eyes opened and she blinked a few times before focusing on the screen. She did have an email. Her breathing stopped. With a jittery hand, she clicked the correct button in order to read it. Then, she took a deep calming breath and read.

**Christine,**

**I do not know where to begin. Honestly, you have surprised me beyond belief, but I will get to that shortly. **

**First, you are most welcome for the advice, and I will try to give more if you ever need it. **

**Second, it sounds like your mother and her fiancé are only trying to gain your approval because of what feels like obligation. I could be wrong, but it sounds like your approval or disapproval would not mean much to either of them. They are just trying to be 'good people', although their attempts are useless, are they not? You do what you feel is right, for you know your mother better than I do, but my previous advice remains- I would not forgive her so easily. She is in the wrong, and you do not have to fall for her attempts to convince you otherwise. As I have said before, you are more than welcome to continue updating me on the situation as it transpires further.**

**Now I will explain my surprise. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that you had sent me a recording of your voice. The surprise did not end there. I was not prepared for what I heard. Christine, your voice is exquisite. I cannot fully explain to you how breathtaking it is. Your talent is impressive, to say the least, and the gift you possess has blown me away. It is rare to find a voice such as yours. You sang the piece of music exactly as it was meant to be sung.**

Christine was interrupted from her reading when she heard her bedroom door swing open and hit the wall loudly. She gasped and whirled around in her computer chair to face the sound. It was Brian. He was angrier than she had ever seen him before, but that wasn't the horrifying part. She was horrified due to the fact that tears were running down both of her cheeks. It was because of the beautiful email, of course, but Brian didn't know that. She clumsily tried to wipe away her tears while wishing he'd warned her before coming in. "What's wrong?" she asked, trying to distract him from noticing the tears.

Brian's anger dissipated immediately, and he asked in shock, "Are you _crying_?" Before Christine even had time to react, he shouted, "I can't believe this! I can't believe she made you cry! Oh, she's going to pay!"

Christine blinked, confused, but realization quickly came to her. "No, no, it's not that." She was still trying to wipe her face clean of tears and she sniffed. "Mom didn't make me cry. I can blame her for _so _many things, but I'm not crying because of her. Now what's wrong? What happened?" She noticed that he had on his work shirt and pajama pants.

"Why are you crying, then?" Brian asked with a demanding tone. "We'll get to me in a second."

"It's nothing. Really. Just tell me what's wrong with you." Christine was becoming impatient with her need to know.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he finally surrendered. "I'm furious, _that's _what's wrong. Mom barged into my room while I was getting ready for work and actually tried to force me to approve of the guy!"

Brian was absolutely seething, which Christine had never seen happen before. He was usually so calm and laid back.. an inspiration, really. "Yeah, she came to my room with the same plan."

"She's out of her freaking mind! How could she possibly think I'd approve of that guy? I told her _exactly _what I thought of him, and do you want to know where she's gone now?"

"Jeremy," Christine answered while rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. She's gone to pout to her fiancé. She's pathetic." He stood still for a few seconds beginning to calm down from his rage. "Whoa, I'm not usually like this, am I?"

Christine shook her head and laughed a little. "No, you're never like this."

"She's just.. Man, she pisses me off." Brian turned to see if there was a hole in his sister's wall thanks to the door slamming against it. "Good, no damage." He looked down at his watch. "I'm going to be late." A soft but distinct curse escaped his lips before he looked at Christine again. "Uh.. sorry for coming in like this. I needed to vent."

"No problem," she reassured. "Come and vent to me anytime." _Except when I'm reading an email.. _Christine didn't mean that, though. If there was something wrong with her brother, then she wanted to fix it, or at least listen to his problems.

"Thanks, Chris." He finally smiled. "Well, let's hope I don't get fired for being late. I'll see you later." He turned and was about to close the door when he remembered, "Oh, and I can't wait hear about Macaroni Grill. They _will _call." Then, he closed the door and rushed back to his room to finish getting ready.

Christine sighed. _How can he be so sure? He thinks they'll call, but I bet they won't.. I guess we'll see who's right. _The email was practically calling her name, and she turned back towards the computer screen to continue reading.

**I have researched the piece. The composer has specific qualifications for the singer, and you captured each emotion with ease. You are an inspiration. I know you will go far in life. I want you to know that you are capable of becoming a famous soprano singer. You may not believe that, but it is true. If you are willing, I would love to hear more. I feel I must compliment you again to reiterate my gratitude. Thank you for letting me hear you.**

**Finally, let me assure you, you do not talk about yourself over excessively. I enjoy reading what you have to say. Really, your emails are currently the highlight of my life. I believe I will end here. Thank you, Christine.**

**Until I receive a reply,**

**Erik**

_Wow, _was Christine's first thought upon finishing. _His emails are the highlight of my life, too. _She decided to read it again and was blushing and grinning by the end. _He liked my voice. Wow.. _Not only did he like it, but his words were proof that he absolutely loved it. Christine wasn't used to receiving such high praise and she couldn't help but feel unworthy. _No one has ever complimented my voice like that before. Sure, people say that they like it, but he took 'like it' to a whole new level! _She could only sit and stare at the screen.

"Bye, Chris!" Brian yelled before leaving the house.

His voice was enough to wake Christine from her trance. She softly said, "Bye," before returning her thoughts to the email. _Erik is so right about Carrie... I refuse to think of her as Mom anymore. He said exactly what I was thinking. _His compliments about her voice replaced the bad thoughts about Carrie, and her lips curled upward as she leaned back in her seat. _I'm so lucky to have someone like Erik in my life. _

Her brow then furrowed as she thought of something that had been missing from the email. Erik had completely disregarded her request to know more about him. _Why wouldn't he want to talk about himself? I'm not all that interesting, so why can't we both talk about each other so that he's not left out? _Christine decided to read the email one more time. Perhaps he had spoken about himself at least once…

_No, _she thought after reading. _Nothing at all. _One thing did catch her eye, though. Erik had mentioned that he researched the song she had sung. She hadn't ever put forth the effort to doing that. Before she'd sung the solo at school, Christine had only read the lyrics and gone off of her interpretation of them. _Hmm.. _She assumed he had researched the song and composer online, so she decided to do it, as well.

After getting to a search engine on the Internet, she typed in the song's name and clicked 'Enter'. The first few results were websites that showed the song's lyrics. Christine already knew the lyrics, so she scrolled down until she saw a site entitled, NoahWellington. _That's the composer. _She remembered his name from when she'd sung it in April. Clicking on the link, she found that the homepage consisted of a brief biography of Noah Wellington. There wasn't a picture of the man, and there was barely even a good description.

With a frown, her eyes searched for what links the website contained. There were four links: one for the titles of all of his compositions, one for the lyrics of each song, one for awards his compositions had won, and one where you could buy his CD's. Since Christine didn't know about him beyond the song she'd sung and the biography she'd just read, she decided to click on each link. _I've never heard of him, so I wonder if he's really even that famous._

Christine clicked on the first link and her eyes widened in surprise. It looked like the guy had composed a ton of music. There were over 100 Internet pages worth of titles. Her mouth gaped open as she read through some of them. _I've sung a lot of these before! _One particular piece was actually one of her favorite songs. _I had no idea he was the composer! _

By the time she finished going through each of the links, it was time to get ready for work. For once, not even the thought of going to work could get her down. She was excited due to the fact that she had discovered her new favorite composer, Noah Wellington.

* * *

It was 8:00 am when Nadir walked towards the music room to see if Erik had any new compositions that he could take to work. To his surprise, the masked man was sitting at the piano working intensely. He wondered how long Erik had been at it. "Good morning, Erik," Nadir said softly while approaching the piano.

"Quiet, old man, can't you see that I am working?" Erik snapped without looking at him. His right hand held a pencil, which was scribbling gracefully across a page while his left was still against the piano keys. He growled after a moment. "I lost focus!" His eyes glared at Nadir. "What do you want?"

"It's time for me to go to work. I came to see if you had any new pieces.." His curiosity was peaking. "How long have you been working, Erik?"

He shrugged and turned back to the piano. "Three, maybe four hours." Then, changing subjects, he waved towards a stack of music. "Here, take them and leave."

Nadir's eyes widened dramatically as he sifted through the new pieces. "You composed eight new pieces," he whispered in awe. "This is extraordinary."

Erik merely shrugged, but a small smile did come to his lips. "Yes, well, I felt inspired." What Nadir didn't know was that a certain girl named Christine was the source of his inspiration.

_This is more music than he has written in weeks, and he did it in only a few hours! _"Allow me to thank your inspiration, then." His fatherly ways began to creep in. "Erik, have you slept at all?" He knew he hadn't, and he had also noticed that the meal he had prepared the night before had gone untouched and was still in the kitchen.

"Sleep can wait, Nadir. When I feel inspired, I take action. Is that not what you want as my publisher?" His eyes strayed towards Nadir, and he saw him nod. "Excellent. Now then, get to work and refrain from interrupting me again."

Nadir chuckled softly at his choice of words. Yes, the man was rude, yes, the man was arrogant, yes, he was both cold and selfish, but he was also brilliant beyond that of any other person he had ever known. "I'll be sure not to interrupt you again," he said with a smirk before leaving the room.

When Erik knew Nadir had left the mansion, he came to the conclusion that his interruption from composing was probably a good thing. It made it so that he could check his Pen a Pal account. _Perhaps she has sent me another email! _he thought eagerly while heading that way. When he logged on, however, there was no email. He frowned. _I wish to hear her divine voice again! Perhaps my compliments were not enough.. Or perhaps they were too much.. What if she has decided to stop corresponding? _

He was frantically pacing the room while his mind concocted each negative thought. _She cannot leave my life! I will not have it! And yet, there is nothing I can do…_

* * *

Erik's irrational thoughts were completely ridiculous, as emailing him back was all Christine could think about while waiting tables. _I can't believe I have to stay here until close! It's not fair! _

Two hours passed uneventfully while her thoughts proceeded to think of what to type in her email. _Of course I will thank him profusely for complimenting my voice, and I will let him know that he and I are thinking exactly alike about the 'Carrie issue'. But also, I will let him know that I researched the song and discovered that Noah Wellington has composed many songs I like. And then I will tell him that Noah Wellington is my new favorite composer. But above everything else, I am going to get him to open up to me. His life has to be interesting.. probably more interesting than mine. Oh, and I will send of him another solo I sang this year._

Christine continued waiting tables until, suddenly, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. She dodged out of the way of another waiter and quickly walked to the restroom. "Hello?" she asked into the phone, a little out of breath.

"Is this Christine Dupree?" a male's voice asked.

"Yes, it is."

"Ms. Dupree, this is John Huddleston from Macaroni Grill. I've been looking over your application. I see that you wish to be one of our singers. I'd like to set up an interview time with you, if you are still interested."

She was shocked. _Brian was right.._ "Yes. Yes, I am still very interested," she said firmly.

"Great. How about tomorrow at 4:00?"

_I work a lunch shift, so this is perfect! _"Yes, that will be fine."

"Ok, I will see you then."

"Thank you so much."

The man chuckled at her enthusiasm. "You're welcome. Bye."

"Bye." Christine ended the call and literally jumped excitedly in the ladies restroom. "Yes!" she exclaimed aloud not caring one bit if someone heard. Realizing she had to get back to work, she cleared her throat while blushing at her outburst, straightened her clothing and left the restroom to continue waiting tables.

* * *

Erik clicked the 'refresh' button for the 107th time. No email. He was about ready to destroy his computer. An image of Nadir floated through his mind. _'She has a life outside of your emails..' _He gritted his teeth. _Shut up, shut up! _His thought was directed towards the imagined Nadir.

_She _will _email me! _his mind declared._ And if she does not, I will pester her until she has no choice!_

It was going on 1:00 am. Luckily, Nadir had remained faithful to his word. He never interrupted Erik once. That was the least of Erik's concerns, though. He was livid. _She is torturing me! _Hopelessness was beginning to enter his mind, as well his anger. _After all she has done for me, to me, she has decided to forget me._

He sighed wearily before clicking the 'refresh' button again, expecting nothing. His entire masked face brightened within the next second. _An email! I have an email!_

Without hesitation, he clicked the 'Read Now' button and read.

**Hi Erik,**

**I have spent the whole day wishing I could email you back. Unfortunately, I had to work an 8 hour shift. During that time, though, I was able to think of everything I wish to say.**

**I will begin with my mother (or Carrie as I now wish to call her). I'm surprised by how similar our thoughts are on the matter. I agree that she is only trying to gain my approval because of what feels like obligation. She woke me up this morning to ask me what I think of Jeremy. Well, I told her exactly what was on my mind. I really upset her, but a large part of me doesn't care. As my brother says, she's pathetic. Anyway, she definitely didn't succeed in gaining my approval. That is my update on the situation for now.**

**Just as you were surprised to hear my voice, I was surprised by how much you seemed to like it. Thank you so much for listening to the recording I sent you. Your compliments mean more to me than I can say through email. Really, thank you. (Attached is another recording of my voice. Actually, it is a song by the same composer.) After you let me know that you researched my solo, I decided to do so, as well. Really, I can't believe I never thought to research it before. I only went off my interpretation of the lyrics when I sang it. According to you, my interpretation was right. I'm so glad you think so. I found that the composer was Noah Wellington. Looking through his other song titles, I was surprised to find that he has written many songs that I have sung. Thanks to you, I have discovered that he is my new favorite composer. Thank you for introducing me to him.**

**I know you said that you are not annoyed by the fact that these emails are all about me, but I really wish to know more about you. Do you have any recordings of you singing or playing one of your instruments? I do not mean to pry. I'm just interested in knowing more about you, since you already know so much about me.**

**I have to say, you write so well. Thank you again for your compliments. As I said earlier, I have attached another recording of a solo I sang this year. It was a difficult piece to sing, so I wish to hear your thoughts.**

**Thank you,**

**Christine**

Erik resisted the temptation to listen to the attached song until he had read the entire email. The second to last paragraph was the only part he had difficulty reading. _Why must she wish to know more about me? _He wasn't at all eager to tell her more about himself. _Perhaps I could send her a recording, though. It could serve as a way of thanking her for letting me hear her voice. Her voice… _He excitedly clicked the button to download the attachment and, just as the day before, he waited impatiently for it to load. When it was finally complete, he sucked in a breath before pressing 'Play'.

Of course, he recognized his song immediately. It was a soprano piece sung a cappella at times and with accompaniment at other times. She was right, it was a difficult selection to sing, but she sang it with ease and in a professional manner. Yet again, he'd never heard such beauty. Such pure, radiant, angelic tone quality… And such emotion! The talent she possessed was rare indeed. Erik knew he could listen to her voice for all eternity and never grow bored. She was a star, a rare shining star that would stun the world someday.

If only he had the power to make it happen...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

When Nadir returned to the mansion after a productive day at work, he heard and saw nothing in the music room. _Erik must be satiating his obsession,_ he thought with a sigh. This new Internet obsession was really frustrating Nadir. True, Erik desperately needed a social life… but did he really have to resort to getting one through a website? It wasn't healthy for the man to become even more reclusive by closing himself off with a computer.

The couple of times Erik had spent driving within the past two days had really looking promising. It looked as though he had enjoyed himself and would do it again. _That's where he needs to obtain a social life, outside with the 'real world', not on an Internet website where you cannot see the other person. _Of course, that was the obvious reason he was so captivated by it- he could go about socializing without having the threat of someone seeing him.

It was really quite an appropriate source of communication for Erik. _So why can I not be happy for him? Am I really so selfish that I wish he would compose and do nothing else? No, of course not, _his mind responded. _That's complete nonsense. He's like a son to you, and you want him to experience everything. Every _normal _thing. _Perhaps Nadir was simply aging too quickly, though. The Internet was the wave of the future. People could supposedly survive on it, food, and water alone and be just fine.

Relying heavily upon a computer was simply not for Nadir. Sure, he could use one at work to get things done, but that was the extent of its uses. He couldn't really understand the craze, for he couldn't relate. _It makes Erik happy, though, and it helps him compose. I want Erik to be happy. That being said, I do not want him to get hurt by this._ Though, Nadir really didn't know how an Internet could hurt anyone.

He shrugged and walked towards the kitchen to fix some dinner. On his way, he noticed that the computer room door was opened fully, allowing him to see inside. _I wonder why Erik didn't shut the door.. He usually wants to be left alone with that contraption. Perhaps he is so obsessed that he simply forgot to shut it. _

He passed the room slowly, and something he least expected to see caught his attention and made him stop walking. Erik's body was bent over and his head was resting against his arms on top of the desk. _He's asleep! _The man was actually sleeping next to his computer. Nadir feared Erik's obsession was getting worse. He also couldn't help but notice that the mask was obviously digging into his face because of his head's position against his arms. _He must be very tired if he is able to endure it._

Nadir's lips curled upward contently as he continued to watch. He hoped his friend was sleeping peacefully. After one last glance, he carried on towards the kitchen.

* * *

Christine finished typing her email to Erik at about 12:50 am and stood from her desk. Her work shift had been long and exhausting. She left her bedroom to go to the bathroom to get ready for bed and was almost immediately approached by an alert-looking Brian.

"Great, you're here. I must have missed you when you got home. How was work?" he asked quickly but in a way that suggested he didn't really care and had other more important things to talk about.

"Um..fine.. How'd it go for you?" she asked with a yawn.

"It was fine." Brian decided it was time to get to the point. "Ok, so I've been thinking.. What if we're the ones who are wrong? I sort of went crazy this morning, only because she's our mom and is acting really irresponsibly. But she _is _a grown woman. She can do what she wants. Maybe we shouldn't be so hard on her."

Christine looked at him with a furrowed brow for a second before walking past him towards the kitchen so they could sit and talk. "So you actually want to apologize to her?"

He followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table. "Not exactly. I just think we should let her know that we're ok with her doing what she wants. Not that she'll care, probably.. But I hate all the tension."

Christine tried to read further into what he was saying and asked, "So you're wanting to do this just so things will be more comfortable around here? You're going to lie?" If he was asking for her permission, she wasn't so sure that she would give it.

"It won't be a lie. I really do think she can do what she wants. Plus, I guess we haven't really given this guy too much of a chance." He saw his sister raise one eyebrow and continued, "Yeah, so he ignored us and was all over her the whole time, but… well, ok, it was really annoying.. But maybe we should try to be the bigger people here. If he doesn't want to get to know us, then fine, but maybe we should see if he does want to before we jump to conclusions."

"I don't think we're jumping to conclusions," Christine protested. "First meetings are supposed to be the most important. He blew it."

"Maybe he was nervous."

"Maybe he didn't care," she countered.

"Maybe we should give him one more chance."

"Or maybe, because Mom is probably over there bad-mouthing us for getting mad at her, he doesn't want to see us again."

Brian hesitated. "Hmm.. I guess you have a point there, but I think we should still try. Look, I wasn't going to get into this, but we can't keep being so disrespectful towards Mom. It's a wonder she hasn't kicked us out of the house or something." Now he'd caught her attention. "She pays the bills, she buys the groceries, and I mean, come on, she's our _mom_. Right now, she might not be doing things right, but she hasn't always been this way. I think we should sit down with her and discuss this rationally."

Christine was beginning to see his point. "I guess you're right.. But, and this might sound mean, but you've always been more of a parent to me than she has. She might pay the bills, but that's about all she does for us."

That made Brian a little defensive. "You and I both know Mom's always been depressed. She obviously really loved Dad, and then she lost him. She's never been able to get over it."

"Until now."

"Yeah, until now," he agreed. "She's finally feeling happy. Are we really going to be so hard on her when she's finally found a reason to smile and even laugh again? You saw her, she was really having a good time with Jeremy." Something else dawned on him. "This is new for her, too.. this whole 'having a fiancé' thing. Maybe she didn't mean to ignore us, and maybe he didn't mean to either."

Christine thought about it before finally deciding to back down. "Maybe you're right. This is new for her. She probably didn't even realize what she was doing last night." Neither spoke for a few seconds. "So.. how are we going to go about doing this? It's pretty obvious that she isn't going to come home tonight. Should we call her?"

Brian nodded. "Yeah, let's call. Maybe she's not asleep yet." Honestly, he didn't want to even think about what she and Jeremy might be doing.. "Hopefully, we won't be interrupting something."

She knew what he was referring to. "Ew, Brian, that's gross." She shuddered before standing and reaching for the telephone. "Do you want to talk to her? You probably know what to say better than I do."

He shrugged. "Yeah, that's fine." He dialed his mother's cell phone number and lifted the phone to his ear.

Christine listened to the conversation carefully, trying to figure out what her mother was saying. It sounded like she was, at first, pretty mad. Then, she was suspicious when Brian tried to explain that they were ok with everything. Finally, after a lot of back and forth talking, it sounded like she was accepting his words, thanks to the expression on Brian's face.

When he hung up with her, he said, "Well, I think she gets it. She seemed to agree that she and Jeremy ignored us the whole time, and she apologized. It sounds like we're going to try to eat together again tomorrow for dinner."

"Ok, that sounds good." Her head fell slightly. "Now I feel bad. I shouldn't have said what I said to her this morning."

Being his usual easy-going self, Brian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Chris, she's fine. You're a teenager, so it's normal to get mad at her sometimes. She forgives you. She forgives both of us. Really."

Christine looked at the reassuring expression on his face and smiled. "Ok, I guess you're right." That was when she remembered, "I can't believe I almost forgot! Macaroni Grill called while I was at work."

Brian grinned. "I knew they would. What'd they say?"

"The guy, John something, wants me to come in for an interview tomorrow at 4."

She was really excited, and Brian laughed. "That's great, Chris! I'm really happy for you. It sounds like you're happy, too."

"Yeah. I just hope I get it. I'm so sick of Ruby Tuesday."

"You'll get it," he said firmly. "I was right that they called, and I'll be right that they hire you."

Christine laughed. "You're always so confident. Why can't I be like that?"

"You just have to work on it. Don't worry so much. Try being optimistic."

His words reminded her of Erik. "Well, I'm tired. I'm glad we talked to Mom. G'night."

"Night, Chris."

They parted ways, and Christine got ready for bed before sitting at her computer to log onto her Pen-a-Pal account. _It's going on 2:00 am. Maybe he's replied? _She highly doubted it, but it was worth a check.

To her utter surprise, there was an email. Her finger clicked the 'Read Now' button without hesitation.

**Christine,**

**I was very glad to receive an email from you. I am sorry work prevented you from sending one sooner, but it at least helped you think of what to say.**

**It sounds like your feud with Carrie is getting worse. I think it is good that you told her exactly what you thought when she woke you up this morning. She needs to hear the truth about how much this is upsetting you. I am worried about what this is doing to you, though. You need your mother. To live life without one is challenging. I can only hope that, in time, she will come to understand your view on this and alleviate the tension by apologizing. Only you can decide if you will reject her apology or give her another chance.**

**You discovered Noah Wellington. Yes, he has composed a number of pieces. Do you have a favorite?**

**Once again, I must praise your voice. You are extremely talented, Christine. To think that you are only eighteen with such a voice is astounding. I have never in my entire life such convincing emotion. Both songs I have heard you sing are somber pieces. You have sung them exactly as they were meant to be sung. If I may, have you sung pieces that are not so melancholy? You display sadness so well, but I would like to hear you sing an uplifting piece, if you have any recordings.**

**Until I receive a reply,**

**Erik**

After reading the email, the one thing that stuck out in Christine's mind was that he didn't talk about himself…again. She'd asked him a specific question, and he disregarded it completely. She knew it wasn't that he'd forgotten to mention himself or answer her question. He'd done it on purpose for unknown reasons. _What is he trying to keep from me? _

She was curious by nature, and this avoidance was causing her curiosity to grow.

* * *

Erik sat back in his computer chair and thought about the email he'd just sent. He hoped she would like what he had to say about everything, but that wasn't the only thing he hoped for. He hadn't sent her a recording. For one, every piece he'd ever composed had been published by Nadir. She could easily trace the music back to Noah Wellington, and then his secret would be revealed, which could never happen. Secondly, he didn't want to sing for her.

There was a reason behind Erik's decision. His voice held an unnatural quality, something that affected the listener in a strange way.

He'd involuntarily sung in the presence of Nadir a couple of times throughout his life. The most recent time hadn't been long ago, actually. He had been composing a tenor piece and wished to hear what it would sound like aloud. Erik had begun to sing it while playing the accompaniment. He'd initially been oblivious to the fact that he had an audience, but that changed when he finally felt someone nearby. Immediately, he had stopped and whipped around on the bench to face who it was.

Nadir had been in a sort of trance. His eyes had been wide, and his mouth had been gaping open. It looked as though he had been hypnotized, but that eventually ended when the music stopped. Erik had watched with a furrowed brow as Nadir blinked and shook his head, coming out of it. Of course, he had yelled at him for intruding, but he also noticed that Nadir had acted strangely the rest of the day. His voice had done that. The tenor piece he had sung was never published, for after seeing Nadir's reaction, it was one song he wished to keep from the world.

Erik didn't want it to happen again. He didn't want Christine to hear him and act like Nadir had. Perhaps it was silly, but if his voice were to affect someone, then he wanted to be there to witness it. With Christine, that couldn't happen. He couldn't see her, just as she couldn't see him. That was the beauty of their relationship, and he didn't want it to be tarnished by his singing.

He only hoped she could understand, although… he also hadn't explained himself. _How could I possibly explain my reasons for denying her request? _He hoped she would leave it alone and that their communication could continue in the same way it had been, focusing on her life, not his.

It was fairly late, and Erik was exhausted. He'd taken a nap earlier.. _Why is it that I am still tired, then? _He supposed it was due to the lack of sleep. He'd spent the past night working on compositions until morning. Christine had been the cause of such success, but it seemed his inspiration wasn't going to reappear until he was well rested.

After one last pointless click of the 'Refresh' button, Erik stood and walked towards his bedroom to get some rest. Nadir wouldn't have any pieces to take with him in the morning.

* * *

Christine was agitated by the fact that Erik hadn't talked about himself or sent her a recording, so she was going to get to the bottom of it. _It's only fair that he should contribute something about himself, too.. Right? _She didn't want to seem pushy, though. But this was really frustrating her. _I have to know his reasons! _

**Dear Erik,**

**Thank you so much for your email. Your advice and compliments mean a lot to me.**

**You might not like what I'm about to say, but my curiosity will not leave me alone. I just want to know why you won't talk about yourself. I really am interested in your life, please know that. I'm not so selfish that I want our emails to be all about me. It must seem like I have some trivial problems that need to be dealt with, and you really are helping me, but I don't want our emails to be just about my problems and my singing. I want to know more about you. If there are legitimate reasons behind your not wanting to talk about yourself, I will understand. Otherwise, I want you to feel like you can open up with me, just like I can open up with you.**

**I hope this email doesn't bother you. That is the last thing I want.**

**Thank you,**

**Christine **

She clicked the 'Send Now' button after rereading the email five times. _I hope it doesn't annoy him. I hope he doesn't stop emailing me. _That thought alone had the power to make her incredibly nervous. _I can't lose his friendship. He means too much to me._

* * *

Christine slept in late, too late. _I'm going to be late to work! _She hurriedly threw on her uniform and pulled her hair back before running to her car and speeding to work. She didn't know how it was possible, but she made it with five minutes to spare.

While walking to the door, she planned out her day. _I'll work for five hours here, hurry home to change clothes, go to the interview at Macaroni Grill, and get home in time to have dinner with Mom and Jeremy. _Christine hoped everything would prove to be just as lucky as her getting to work on time.

* * *

Erik awoke at 10:00 am and found that he was hungry, practically starving. _Am I really turning into a ridiculous, needy human? _He sighed and headed to the kitchen but stopped short of getting there. _What if I have an email? _Forgetting food, he ran to the computer and logged onto his account to see that there was, indeed, an email.

He read it quickly and found, by the end, that it was extremely upsetting. It was worse than he had expected. _She will not let it go. _He stood and paced the room while running his fingers through his dark hair. _Why can she not leave it be? There is no reason for her to care about me! She has to realize that. _Also, _she didn't send me a recording of her voice. In fact, she did not even mention it! _

After a moment, he stopped walking and realized, _My refraining from telling her about myself must feel to her like I feel now that she has disregarded my question. _He sank back down onto the computer chair and crossed his arms. _She did that on purpose, didn't she? Just to show me what it feels like.. How clever. _Cursing under his breath, he finally decided to let her know a few small things about himself. It would be a short email, just like hers was.

Reluctantly, he began to type, pausing frequently to think of what to say.

* * *

Everything seemed to be moving in fast-motion for Christine. That was both a good and bad thing, good in the fact that her shift was flying by, and bad in the fact that it was nerve wracking and tiring to have to wait tables so quickly. For some reason, it was a busy day at Ruby Tuesday, and Christine had to run twice as many tables as usual.

3:00 pm came quickly, and Christine raced home to change clothes. Deciding on black dress pants and a light blue top, she got ready and had time to acknowledge the fact that no one was home before heading back out to drive to the Macaroni Grill.

When she walked inside the warm, inviting restaurant, she knew this was where she wanted to work. _And to sing in this place is going to be great!.. That's only if you get the job, Christine, _her mind reminded. A waitress approached her, and she told her that she was being interviewed by John. John Huddleston walked forward and shook her hand. Christine noticed that he was probably in his upper-thirties with short light brown hair and a lean figure. He definitely looked like manager material.

"Hi, Christine. Let's sit over here." He led her to a table and proceeded to place her application on the table to read over some of it.

Christine found that the interview was quick and to the point. The man was very nice with his questions, and she answered them just as nicely.

He was to the final question. "Now, if you would, walk with me to the back so that I can hear your voice. Your interview is going well so far."

Her heart sank. She was nervous about singing, since she hadn't since before school ended. _What was I thinking? I should have practiced! Or at least warmed up! Stupid, stupid, stupid, _she thought while following him. They ended up in a small private office.

John handed her some sheet music and played a recording of one of their singers singing the "Happy Birthday" song in Italian. "Now, I'm not going to have you sing that," he said afterwards. "Just sing any classical song you know, or if you can't think of one, any song will be all right."

Christine could feel herself sweating a little. The singer had been good. She obviously had some high expectations to live up to. _Do I really have what it takes? _Remembering Erik's advice and remembering his compliments about her voice, she chose to sing one of Noah Wellington's pieces, which happened to be the first recording she had sent to Erik.

John seemed to be in a trance as he listened to Christine sing. She was absolutely perfect, exactly what the restaurant needed. He listened in rapture as she sang the entire song, and when she was done, he clapped loudly. "That was.. _amazing_. Christine Dupree, you are hired," he announced.

Christine grinned still breathing heavily. She'd sung with as much emotion as she could, and it looked like it had paid off. "Thank you so much."

"I really cannot believe this. You're eighteen, and you sing like _that_? You will be great here. I have to say that sometimes the singing can be strenuous, but you can handle it. Anyway, when can you start?" he asked eagerly.

She had to think about that. _To quit Ruby Tuesday, I have to give them two weeks' notice. Maybe I can work two jobs at once until then. _"I work from 10:00 am-3:00 pm tomorrow and from 5:00 pm-11:00 pm the next day."

"How about Saturday at 5:00 pm?"

"That will work," Christine replied with a smile.

John was thoroughly pleased and told her to practice singing the sheet music he'd given her. He then led her to the front of the restaurant. "Christine, you are a perfect candidate for this position. I look forward to Saturday."

She grinned and blushed slightly. "Me, too. Thank you for this opportunity." They parted ways, and Christine drove back home with a smile that seemed to be stuck on her face. Nothing could get her down now. "Brian!" she yelled when she walked through the door. Unexpectedly, she was greeted by Jeremy and her mother. "Oh, I didn't know you were here."

Jeremy spoke first. "Christine, it's good to see you again. Brian told us you went for an interview at the Macaroni Grill."

"How did it go?" her mother asked with care in her tone.

Christine was surprised by how friendly they were. These were definitely not the same people from two nights before. "It went well. I got the job!"

They congratulated her, and Brian walked into the hall where they were. "You got it? That's great! Way to go, Chris!"

They were all so happy for her. Christine was feeling better and better about Jeremy as they ate dinner and talked about themselves. She explained how she hoped to earn enough money to attend college the following fall to major in music, and Jeremy seemed extremely interested. As it turned out, he was a singer himself.

"I'm probably not nearly as good as you are, but I sing in my church choir and the Richmond men's community chorus."

They continued to converse casually, and when dinner was over, they moved to the living room to talk some more. It looked like her mother had basically forgotten the previous morning. All was well.

It was going on 9:00 pm when Jeremy decided he should head home. Christine and Brian said their 'goodbye's' with genuine smiles on their faces, and they left the room to let their mother say 'goodbye' to him in whatever way she felt like.

"That went really well," Christine whispered while they walked towards her bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door and sat on her computer chair while Brian stood near the door.

"Yeah, I really like the guy."

"Me, too. I'm really happy for Mom."

"Yeah, we'll have to tell her that." A few moments later, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," Christine said.

Carrie walked into the room smiling. The smile soon left her face, though, as she asked, "So, do you both still hate him?"

"No, we don't hate him at all," Christine replied. "Really, we misjudged him."

"We're happy for you, Mom," Brian continued. "I think he'll be a good step dad."

They'd never seen their mother so happy about anything. "Thank you! I'm so glad! I love him very much, I really do."

"I can see that," Christine said. "It's really good to see you happy, Mom."

Carrie giggled, which caused both Christine and Brian to laugh. "Jeremy and I are going to pay a lot of attention to both of you, I promise. He's always wanted children."

They talked cheerfully for a few more minutes before Christine was left alone in her room. _Time to check Pen a Pal, _was her immediate thought. She turned the chair around and typed in her 'log in' information before pressing 'Enter'. It turned out she did have an email. _Can this day get any better?_

**Christine,**

**I suppose I can tell you a few things about myself. My name is Erik. I am twenty-seven. I compose, sing and play the piano, violin, and cello. Other than that, my life is not very interesting. I live with a man named Nadir. He has served as a father to me since I was young. I have no family. Really, any other information is trivial. You see, you are the interesting person. I am not.**

**I am looking forward to hearing your voice again.**

**Erik**

Christine read it twice before thinking, _Wait, I already knew most of that. _Oh, how she wished she could read more about him. _I doubt his life is as boring as he makes it out to be. _She still didn't know why he wouldn't send a recording of himself, either, especially when she was sending him so many.

Speaking of which… _He wants me to send him a recording of me singing a happy piece. _Sure, she had a few, but Christine didn't know what he would think. She felt she was better at singing sad songs. _Maybe that's because I am sad a lot of the time. That, or jealous, or mad.. It seems like I'm always so down. But Erik is really helping me._

She decided she would send him a recording of herself singing her favorite piece by Noah Wellington. Christine knew she had somehow messed up when singing it, but she couldn't seem to place how. _Perhaps he can help. _

Christine had never been able to afford a voice teacher. All of the money she made while working was being used to save up for college. Her school chorus teacher had given her some free lessons in high school, but she was never too much help. _Maybe, since Erik seems to be so knowledgeable in music, he could help me out by becoming a sort of voice teacher for me. _

Having a voice teacher through email would be strange, though, to say the least.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It was Wednesday night, and Erik felt that the entire day had been a complete waste. He detested days like these.. _I have not composed a single piece, nor have I received an email. _Instead, throughout the course of the day, he'd eaten one small meal and sat on an arm chair in his den mulling over his sad life. In fact, he was still sitting in the same position thinking.

_Nadir has certainly kept his word. I have not seen or spoken to him in over a day, _he thought bitterly, though he knew not why he felt bitter about it. It was regretful to even acknowledge it, but Erik couldn't help but think that it would sometimes be nice to have company. Really, he was lonely… lonelier than he would ever admit. He truly only had Nadir in his life.. Christine was a mere fragment of the Internet, although to Erik, she was becoming much more than that.

If he thought about what little purpose there was to his existence too much longer, though, he would fall into a depression so deep that he would never reemerge. He abruptly stood from his seat and headed towards the computer room. _What was I thinking sitting there for hours on end? An email might have been sent long ago while I was wasting time. _

He sat gracefully on his computer chair the way a pianist would sit on a piano bench before beginning to play. Then, he logged onto his Pen-a-Pal account and breathed a sigh of relief. There was an email.

It seemed his entire life was reliant upon these emails. Erik distantly wondered if that was a good or bad thing…

**Dear Erik,**

**Thank you for revealing a little about yourself. You already told me some of what I read back when we first began emailing, but I did not know about your family. I think it's good that you have Nadir. His name doesn't sound American. Where is he from, if you don't mind me asking? How did you meet him?**

Erik couldn't bear to read more. She was wishing for him to reveal more and more about himself, and if he answered her questions and continued doing so, problems would arise. _'How did you meet him?' _Even that small question was one he couldn't answer. In fact, it had taken _himself _years to gather the truth of it. Nadir hadn't wished to relay the horrors.

Erik could recall the day when Nadir had finally told the story. He was but ten years of age.

"_You were an infant, barely eight months old, when I found you," Nadir said. He couldn't deny Erik any longer. The boy wanted to know, so he would know._

"_What do you mean, 'found me'?" Erik asked with deep interest. It was the most interest he had ever conveyed, outside of music, of course._

_Nadir sat at the kitchen table and looked at Erik who was standing with his arms crossed in a guarded way. He was always like that. "Well.." he hesitated._

"_Tell me," Erik demanded._

_He surrendered to the tone of his voice and slowly began. "It was a rainy night, and I had business to attend to in the city. I was walking on a sidewalk past buildings and alleys when I heard a baby crying. The sound of it overpowered the sound of the rain. I slowed my pace to try to find where the sound was coming from. It came from one of the alleys where a group of people were standing in a circle, obviously surrounding something. And that something was you."_

"_Go on," Erik whispered. He was beginning to realize something bad was about to be said._

"_Erik," Nadir muttered with weak protest._

"_I want to hear everything. Go on," he repeated firmly._

"_I hid behind a building and tried to listen to what they were saying over the sound of your crying. Almost immediately, I could tell it was a gang. They were talking about what they were going to do with you. One explained how somebody had left you there to die. Another said he had a knife to do it. And somebody else mentioned putting you on display to earn money. There was even someone who suggested raising you to become one of them, saying that you would scare away anyone you came in contact with. I, of course, was confused. How could a baby cause fear?" Nadir was telling the whole story, leaving nothing out and refraining from sugar-coating any of it. Erik wanted the truth, and he was getting it. _

_There was a pause in which Erik didn't say anything, so Nadir continued, "I listened as they talked it over until, eventually, the one with the knife talked the others into doing things his way. I couldn't have that, so I did the only thing I could. I walked into the alley and told them not to hurt you."_

"_How could that possibly work against a person with a knife?" Erik asked in confusion._

"_Well, Erik, I didn't just use my voice to get through to them. I also had a weapon. I had a gun."_

"_You?" Erik asked in disbelief. "Carrying a gun?" It was very unlike the man._

"_Yes, well, I was a very paranoid person back then. Going into that part of the city at night was a bit dangerous." He wasn't going to elaborate on that matter. "Anyway, so I threatened them with the gun and they backed away. Actually, they ran away. When they were gone, I walked forward to where you lay. You were on the bare ground without any clothing, and you were crying." A pained look entered his eyes. "I could never leave you," he said softly._

_Erik wasn't liking the pitying look Nadir was giving him, so he turned his face away. "Yes, well, you're a good person. Good people feel like they must do good things."_

"_Erik, this has nothing to do with feeling obligated," Nadir interjected._

"_Yes, yes, you want me here," Erik cut in sarcastically. "And yet, I will never know why." His eyes turned cold. "It sounds like you disrupted fate that night. I should have died." He clenched his fists to keep under control and began to walk away. "You should have let me die."_

_Right before Erik could leave the room, Nadir objected, "I did not disrupt fate that night… It was fate that led me to you."_

_Erik stopped walking and closed his eyes, his fists unclenching. He sighed, turned towards Nadir, and looked into his caring eyes. He could never understand. Neither of them could ever understand the other's perspective. After a moment, he looked down and shook his head. Then, he turned and quickly left the room._

Throughout the years, Erik's mind had brought up the memory many times. With each time, his emotions took different turns. In the past, he would have wanted revenge against the gang of people who had wanted to do away with him, and he would have plotted out ways to get that revenge for hours, maybe days. Now, however, the memory only brought about sadness and self-loathing. _Why did she have to bring it back to the surface? _

Sighing forlornly, Erik stood and dragged himself to his music room. A sad, slow, mournful song was being composed in his mind as he walked, and he wanted to write it down.

* * *

Nadir wanted to give Erik his space, as he'd demanded, but giving him too much time to himself wasn't right. Neither of them had any true friends besides each other, but at least Nadir got to see and associate with other humans. Erik was never given that opportunity.

He knew Erik, too. He knew he was lonely and sad, and Nadir could barely stand to think of the man he considered to be his son living life day in and day out like that. That's why he crept towards the computer room to check on him, just to say 'hello', if nothing else.

When he peeked inside, however, no one was there. He frowned but assumed Erik was in the music room, although he couldn't hear the piano. Perhaps he was composing! The thought thrilled him. Nadir was about to leave to find him, but the computer caught his attention. It seemed Erik had forgotten to close out of the program he was obsessed with. He stepped further into the room. It looked like there was an email on the screen. The sound of the piano playing reached his ears, so that meant Erik was thoroughly immersed in his music.

It was so tempting. He wanted to finally see firsthand what Erik was spending so much of his time doing. Nadir recalled Erik telling him that he had discovered a website called Pen-a-Pal and was corresponding with a girl. He supposed this email was either a message from the girl or an email he was composing to send to her.

The piano was still playing in the background, so Nadir hesitantly sat down on Erik's computer chair. He closed his eyes and inwardly cursed himself for what he was about to do. Invading his friend's privacy was very wrong, but his curiosity was continuing to grow. With one last inward curse, he opened his eyes and read the email.

**Dear Erik, **

**Thank you for revealing a little about yourself. You already told me some of what I read back when we first began emailing, but I did not know about your family. I think it's good that you have Nadir. His name doesn't sound American. Where is he from, if you don't mind me asking? How did you meet him? You can tell me at any time if you don't want to answer my questions. I'm just curious.**

**Here's an update on my life. My mom and I aren't fighting anymore. It turns out that Jeremy isn't a bad guy. He and my mom ate dinner with Brian and me tonight, and we all got along really well. I guess I misjudged the situation. Of course, I still don't know him too well, but my mom says that they are going to pay more attention to Brian and me. I will get to know him that way. I want to thank you for all of the advice you've given me about this. You really have helped me. **

**Another update is that I got a new job. I have been working at a restaurant called Ruby Tuesday for the past two years. I was never really happy there, so Brian convinced me to apply for a job at the Macaroni Grill. I was hired today. I start working on Saturday night. It's going to be a job that involves singing. I thought you might like to hear that. I'm really excited about it.**

**Before our last two emails, you asked if you could hear me sing a song that isn't so sad. Well, I'm attaching a recording of me singing my favorite song by Noah Wellington called, **_**The Angel**_**. Actually, I want to ask a favor of you. I know I messed up when singing this song, but I'm just not sure how. It must sound silly that I don't know. It's just strange. You are very knowledgeable when it comes to music, so I want to ask if you will tell me what you think I'm doing wrong. It would be nice to have a sort of voice teacher. Please know that I will understand if you don't want to do this.**

**I eagerly await your reply,**

**Christine**

Nadir made sure he could still hear the piano playing before reading through the email again. Then, he stood and made sure everything was exactly as he'd found it before leaving the room. His hand rubbed his chin in thought as he walked to the kitchen. _It seems that Erik and this Christine have gotten to know each other fairly well. I must admit, this is good for him. He needs a friend, and the fact that she likes music is bound to be the main reason he is so obsessed. She knows of Noah Wellington and sings his music, too. How peculiar… Yes, his music is some of the most famous in the world, but most of it is classical. She has more in common with him than I thought. This is outstanding._

One other thing was rolling through his mind. _If only they could meet.. I wonder where she lives…_

* * *

Erik returned to his computer about an hour later with a new frame of mind. No longer was he sad. He'd just composed a masterpiece! The song was poignant and hauntingly beautiful. It was meant to be sung by a soprano, and he knew just who he wanted to sing it… _Christine. _

He stared at the email that was still up on the screen and wondered how in god's name he had been able to walk away from it earlier. Eagerly, he read the rest of its contents.

* * *

Christine woke up to her 8:00 am alarm the following morning. She knocked it off her bedside table, and it crashed to the ground nearly breaking in the process. _Oh, man.. _She moaned and reached down to pick it up off the floor before getting out of bed. _Why, oh why must I go to work at 10:00 am? And to a job I'm about to quit, too! _She was about to stomp off towards the kitchen when a certain something completely sidetracked her mind.

The Internet was 'calling her name', and she ran to sit in front of the computer. Christine logged onto her Pen-a-Pal account and smiled when she saw that an email was waiting in her Inbox.

**Dear Christine,**

**Allow me to congratulate you on your new job. I am sure you will be wonderful. I certainly am glad to hear that you will be able to sing. I have never visited the restaurant, but it sounds like the ideal workplace for you.**

**It is good to hear that things have worked out with your mother. It pleases me to know that you can have both a mother and a fatherly figure in your life now. I hope everything continues to run smoothly.**

**I would be honored to become your voice teacher, Christine. I am sure you cannot even begin to imagine how thrilled I am to be able to do this for such a fine vocalist. Through our correspondence, I have gathered that you are a modest person, which is a rare quality to possess in today's world. That is why I feel I must tell you repeatedly that you have an extraordinary gift. Someday, I feel that you will stun the world. **

**I know of the song you sang. It is a favorite of mine, as well. Now, before I begin, I must know if you have researched the piece. You must understand the music before you can sing it. By 'understand', I do not merely mean reading the text and knowing the words. You must grasp the message, the feelings, and the emotions. I believe you mastered all three of those in the previous two recordings you sent me. With this piece, however, you are right. It is missing something. You sing it beautifully, there's no doubt of that, but it seems like you are not able to relate to what you are supposed to be telling the listener. It sounds like your heart is not in it. Somehow, you are able to relate incredibly well to melancholy songs. If you could find the music in this song, you could conquer it, as well. My suggestion would be to research the piece in a quiet place and reflect on its meaning. Try to find the hidden message, for it is there. Then, close your eyes and think of a moment when you were really, truly happy. Reflect on exactly what you were feeling in that moment. Also, I find it helpful to think of someone when you sing, someone you love, trust, and perhaps look up to.**

**For now, this is as helpful as I can be. Once you feel you can sing the piece better than before, I hope you will send me another recording of it.**

**Until next time,**

**Erik**

Christine was in awe. If what he was telling her to do didn't work, then she didn't know what would. It's true, she hadn't researched the piece before singing it. Even if she had, though, she doubted it would have worked. Something still would have been missing. Thanks to Erik's advice, though, she felt inspired. _I'll master it, and it'll all be thanks to him. _

Noticing the clock on the bottom right hand corner of the computer screen, Christine gasped and hurriedly logged off of Pen-a-Pal while inwardly promising to email him back after work. She ran to her closet to get her uniform and quickly put it on before going to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

It was while pulling her hair back that she came up with an answer to one of Erik's suggestions. In the past, Christine wouldn't have had the slightest idea who she could sing for. There hadn't been one person who could relate to that side of her so well. Now, there was a person. A man named Erik, or so he claimed to be. That was the trouble with communicating via email. Nothing was ever truly known. She couldn't see him or hear him. But she trusted him, and she looked up to him, which were two of the three qualities the person she sang for needed to possess. Love, though? Well, it wasn't even in the picture. Christine would have to see him, hear him, and know him before she could ever begin to even think of feeling that.

* * *

It was going on 6:00 am when Erik finally finished writing his email to Christine. He clicked the 'Send Now' button and sat back in his seat with a sigh. Nearly seven hours had been spent working on her email. If she only knew what she did to him…

Everything in his bleak life seemed to fall apart right before he opened an email from Christine. It happened every time. But, after reading an email from her, everything seemed to come together again, but in a new light. That happened every time, too. She was the angel in the song she had sung. Erik hadn't known until now. The song was titled _The Angel_, it was about an angel, and Christine was the angel. He knew now. Everything seemed clearer.

It had taken a long time for him to come up with how to help her voice. If only she could stand in front of him.. then, there wouldn't be a problem. He could fix everything, and she would be perfect. The problem remained, though. _But not for much longer… _

Erik had taken into account every part of her email, including the third paragraph, the part where she explained her new job. At first, when reading that she had stated the exact location of her workplace, he had wanted to scold her. It was never wise to give out such information to a stranger. Yes, he might be trustworthy, but she did not know that.

After thinking past his wanting to protect her against giving out information to strangers, Erik began to recognize the significance of the information she had given him. She, too, lived in Richmond, Virginia, and he now knew that she was working at the Macaroni Grill in Richmond, Virginia. There was only one restaurant with that name, and he knew exactly where it was. Christine had also given out one other helpful piece of information. She was working there this Saturday night.

Perhaps he was one of the very people he was warning Christine against telling this kind of information to… Erik didn't mind, though. He wanted to meet her, that much was certain. Of course, though, he couldn't actually 'meet' her, but he could very well 'see' her. And he would. He would visit the Macaroni Grill on Saturday night, and he would see her for the first time.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_Saturday Morning_

Erik awoke bright and early as the sun was rising outside. Although his excitement had been increasing rapidly since Wednesday night to the point of not being able to stand still for more than two seconds, he had forced himself to get some sleep. He wanted to feel completely refreshed and alert for _this_ night. _Tonight, I will see the angel for the first time. _In his mind, he had been referring to Christine as 'the angel' ever since Wednesday when he had discovered that she was the angel he had been referring to when composing his song, _The Angel. _

To Erik, it seemed like he had never been so excited about anything in his life. He couldn't stop smiling, and it was difficult to restrain himself from letting out glees of joy every few minutes. This was all so new to him. He'd read books and seen movies about individuals being infatuated with other individuals, but he had never experienced it himself…until now. Christine was the sun, and he was the night. And in his current optimistic mindset, he was actually able to see how opposites could attract.

He had to remember to keep it from Nadir, though. His correspondence with Christine was private. Only _he _would know her. It was silly to feel so possessive, but Erik couldn't help it. Her emails were like gifts to him, so that meant that she was like a gift to him. She was _his _gift, no one else's. He wouldn't share.

With uncharacteristic delight, he glided towards his music room to make sure three pieces of music he had composed the night before were ready for Nadir to take to work.

It was a little past 7:00 am. Erik looked towards the doorway cautiously to make sure he was alone. Nadir usually didn't wake up until 7:15, so he had about fifteen minutes to display his current mood. He knew exactly what he wanted to do. Sitting on the piano bench, his fingers met the keys and he began to play _The Angel._ When it came time for the singer to chime in, Erik began to sing using his pure, exquisite falsetto. Feeling the way he currently did, even he had to admit that it sounded beautiful. Anyone would think so.

His eyes closed as he continued the song feeling each word, caressing each note… It felt so good that it wasn't until the end when he felt a presence behind him. _Oh, no.. _Erik groaned and whipped around to face Nadir. "Is it too much to ask that you warn me when you enter the room?" He wasn't yelling, but his voice was full of irritation.

Nadir was standing in the doorway with his mouth hanging open from what he had heard. At the sound of Erik's speaking voice, he blinked coming out of the trance his singing had the power to put him in. "I-I," he stuttered, trying to clear his head. "No, Erik. It isn't too much to ask. I apologize for intruding." Really, though, he wasn't sorry to have heard him, for who couldn't be hypnotized by such a sound? Erik was music, plain and simple. But Nadir was extremely curious… _He is obviously in high spirits, despite how he is acting towards me, so what is the reason for this good mood? _

Erik studied the disarrayed expression on Nadir's face knowing it had to do with his singing. "Apology accepted," he finally said. "Now," he began, his tone business-like. "I composed three pieces last night. Here you are."

Nadir stepped forward, and he handed him the papers. "How is _Lucid River _coming along?" Erik asked casually, although his intentions were not so casual. It was the song he had composed after reading the first part of Christine's email on Wednesday night. It was the slow, mournful, but hauntingly beautiful song that he wanted only one person to sing. "The piece I gave you Thursday morning." He noticed that Nadir was still acting slow, so he growled and yelled, "Wake up and tell me!"

His booming voice did the trick. Nadir jerked to attention and replied, "It is circulating among many different concert halls and companies. They all like what they hear. In fact, Erik, they believe it is your best composition since _Translucence_. It will be well known soon enough."

"It is a new selection, Nadir," Erik contradicted with a frown. "You know as well as I that it has to go through leaps and bounds before it can ever reach the public…" His voice trailed off, and his eyes took on a distant look as he continued to think about it.

"Erik, what makes that piece so special?" Erik was never so adamant when it came to knowing about the fame of his music. Usually, he didn't care. Most of the time, he either yelled at Nadir or ignored him completely when he brought up 'Noah Wellington'.

He still had a distant look in his eyes and replied, "I want _her_ to sing it."

"Who? Who do you want to sing it?"

"Christine…"

_The girl he is emailing._ _Of course, I should have known! _Nadir was quite happy to hear it, but he had to act as if he didn't know her name. "The girl you are emailing?"

Erik's brow furrowed as he stepped back into reality. "What are you going on about?" His eyes narrowed and he crossed him arms. "What do you know about that?"

Nadir noticed the way he was standing with his guarded expression. This expression, he was used to seeing. He'd seen it since Erik was a boy, and he'd dealt with it accordingly. So, rationally, he asked, "Don't you remember telling me that you have begun emailing a girl through a website?"

Erik stared at him briefly before sighing and dropping his hands to his sides. "Yes, I suppose I do remember telling you about it. But why on earth would you bring it up now?"

"You were the one who brought it up." Nadir was becoming a bit impatient. How could the man not remember something he had said not even one minute before? Although, his tone had been strange when he said it..

"I did no such thing."

This was odd, but it was also so very like him to stubbornly deny the truth. "Do you not remember telling me that you want her, Christine, to sing _Lucid River _just now?"

Erik's jaw locked in place for a moment. He realized Nadir couldn't have come up with that on his own.. he must have said it, although he couldn't remember. He wouldn't give in, though. Slowly, he said, "Perhaps you are imagining things, for I said no such thing. Now, take my compositions and go to work." He gave him a warning glare before turning to face the piano once more.

Taking that as his cue to leave, Nadir sighed and walked away.

For about five seconds, Erik sat still on the piano bench. But, being as obsessed as he was, he couldn't stay away from the computer for long. He stood and walked that way while thinking of the most recent email Christine had sent him. She'd sent it on Thursday night, and he'd memorized every word.

_**Dear Erik,**_

_**Truthfully, the advice you gave me is more meaningful than any I have ever received. If it doesn't help me, then nothing will. I agree with everything you said. I didn't research the piece before I sang it, and it showed. To be honest, though, I still don't think I would have sung it right, even if I had researched it beforehand. As you said, I couldn't relate to what I was supposed to be telling the listener. Now, with your help, I think I can sing it better than before.**_

_**I have to go meet my mom and Jeremy for dinner, but I'd just like to tell you one thing. I might be out of line saying this, but you are the person I am going to think of when I sing. I trust you and I look up to you, so I am going to sing for you.**_

_**I will be sure to send you another recording of the song once I get it right.**_

_**Thank you,**_

_**Christine**_

It had been such a surprise! To think that she was singing for him… Reading that had caused Erik's heart to swell as it had never done before. He had never felt so wanted.

He sat in front of the computer and logged into Pen-a-Pal anxiously, but anxiousness quickly turned to sorrow.

There wasn't an email.

He had just expected there would be one, especially after the email he'd sent her in reply to the email he couldn't stop thinking about. _This means.. She did not send me an email yesterday.. We went a whole day without communicating. What if my email has scared her? What if she does not wish to email me again? _ The thought was too horrifying. His hands clenched the edge of the desk. _She means too much to me. I cannot lose her._

He suddenly remembered what would be happening that very night. _Of course… She has made it so that she cannot leave me, for I can find her easily. _His body relaxed and he let out a content sigh. _She can never see me, but I can always see her. _He was satisfied with that.

* * *

Christine awoke bright and early ready to start the day. _It's a Saturday, and I'm up at 7:00 am.. who would've thought? _She stood at her window and watched the sun rise for a few minutes before going to the kitchen to eat breakfast. While eating a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats, she thought about Erik. _I didn't email him back yesterday.. It probably doesn't matter to him that we went a day without communicating, but it's bothering me. _She imagined someone as talented as him had better things to do than think about their emails constantly.

The previous email he'd sent her came to her mind. She had read it so many times now that she'd memorized it.

_**Dear Christine,**_

_**I must say that your email truly made my night. To know that I am who you sing for is quite touching. Your voice is mesmerizing, so I feel honored to be a part of your singing in any way. If only you knew how special you are. I feel I cannot tell you enough. Thank you for this gift. I am very excited to hear the result of your practicing.**_

_**Until I receive a reply,**_

_**Erik**_

She'd truly made his night? Well, he'd truly made hers. Christine had been speechless after reading such an email. Was she really worthy of his praise, or was it still going to sound like she'd butchered the song after all of her hard work? Either way, she'd always treasure the email he'd sent her.

After she finished eating, Christine decided she would take a jog outside before going to practice _The Angel. _Ever since Thursday, Christine had been practicing every moment she could trying to fix her mistakes. First, she'd researched the song on Thursday morning. She didn't stop until she knew exactly what the piece was saying, and afterwards, she'd immediately gone to practice. There wasn't a piano in their house, so she'd made her way to a particular church where she'd been practicing at since she was fourteen.

Her high school chorus director had also been, and still was, the choir director at a church. Back when Christine first gained knowledge that she could actually sing rather well, her chorus director had told her that she could practice at the church any time she wished. The choir room at the church had a piano, and it was perfect for singing. Christine had taken her teacher up on her offer, and she'd been practicing there ever since.

Christine's brisk jog around her neighborhood was invigorating. Her thoughts were focused on _The Angel _the entire time. When she returned home, she took a shower and threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Then, she greeted her brother briefly in the kitchen, told him where she was going, and left the house. It seemed the drive to the church was just as invigorating as the jog had been. By the time she reached the choir room, she had thought about the song so much that it felt like she would be able to skip warm-ups altogether and just start singing the song.

With a short laugh, Christine shook her head. She knew better than to start singing without warming up. A lack of capability would show, and she couldn't have that. Focusing, she sat at the piano and ran through scales singing on different vowels. Singing on thirds, fifths, and octaves came next. Once her voice could sing through three octaves clearly, she was satisfied. Since she was already in the exact frame of mind the song called for, she decided, _It's time_.

Christine practiced singing _The Angel _for a long time using several different techniques and focusing on everything from breathing to facial expressions. Then, when she finally decided it was time to move on, she began practicing the sheet music John, her new manager, had given her after her job interview until it was memorized.

When she finally took the time to look at the clock on her cell phone, her eyes widened. _Whoa, it's 12:30 pm. I've been here for three hours! _Her shock quickly dwindled into a grin. _Good… I've gotten a lot done. Plus, my voice is more than warmed up for my first night at the Macaroni Grill… if I get the chance to sing, that is. _

The next four hours were spent hanging out with Brian and thinking about emailing Erik. _But I made a promise with myself, _she thought while she and Brian played a videogame. _I won't email him again until I have a new recording to send. And I'll be making that recording tomorrow, so I can certainly wait until then to send another email. I mean, I'm not so_ _obsessed that I can't go two small days without communicating with him.. _Although, she was coming to find that she really was that obsessed. _Pen-a-Pal has turned my life upside down._

At 4:20 pm, Christine could be found sitting on a couch in the living room strumming her fingers nervously against the couch fabric. She was nervous for a few reasons. One, it was a new job. Two, she didn't want to mess up in front of the customers, her co-workers, or her new manager. And three, she would perhaps be singing. That was more nerve-wracking than anything else.

Sooner than she thought, it was time to leave. Brian and her mother, who had gotten home from Jeremy's a little while before in order to see her off, wished her luck, and Christine left the house. _It's going to be fine. Remember all of the advice Erik has given you… Stop worrying so much and try to find the good in things. _It was that thought that made her calm down. The ten minute drive passed quickly, and she parked in the Macaroni Grill parking lot and got out of the car.

It didn't take long to figure out that she had been nervous for no reason. All of the employees were friendly and laid back, but not to the point of being unprofessional. One of the employees, a girl named Hope, led her to John's office while explaining that they were pretty crowded tonight. Christine didn't even have to be told that. There was an hour-long waiting line to get a table. _It's definitely a busier place than Ruby Tuesday. _

John grinned when he saw her. "Christine, it's so good to see you again. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great," she replied with a smile.

"That's good to hear. I'm afraid you've chosen a busy night to start, but you'll be just fine. After all, you've been doing restaurant work for two years, right?" he asked cheerfully. Christine nodded. "Well, let me fill you in on a few things. It seems I completely forgot to get your clothing size for your uniform, so you won't be wearing one tonight. I also forgot to give you one of our menus so that you could start looking it over. I think it's because of your amazing voice that I was so forgetful." He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed sort of way. "Don't worry, though. The way you are dressed will work just fine for one night, and you won't be waiting many tables. Here's your name tag."

Christine took it from his outstretched hand and asked, "Do you think I'll be singing tonight?"

"Have you practiced the music I gave you?"

"I have it memorized."

John's entire face lit up. "That's great! Yes, I believe you will be singing tonight. Actually, let me explain. A number of employees in the past have let me know that it wears out their voices to the point of vocal damage if they sing too much when they're already in such a loud environment. So, I took their advice, and now there are always at least two singers for every work shift. That way, you won't tire out."

Christine was surprised by what he was saying. "Wow, so there are really that many chances to sing?"

John nodded. "Yes. Many of our guests come just for the singing. Anyway, so you and Tim will be taking turns tonight." His lips curled upwards, as if he knew something she didn't. "We'll see how it goes."

After putting on her name tag, Christine was advised on what to do. She started gradually, first walking with a waitress and seeing how she worked, then asking drink orders while another waiter did the rest, and finally waiting a table on her own. It was three hours in, and she hadn't sung yet. Tim, on the other hand, had sung for two tables.

Christine had a feeling it would be her turn soon.

* * *

Erik stood in his walk-in closet contemplating what to wear. He was doing more than just contemplating his clothing, though. There were numerous thoughts going through his mind.

It seemed he hadn't been as smart about this as he was with everything else. The main conflict was how he would go about finding Christine. Would he stand outside and peer through windows like some sort of stalker, or would he… The other option was terrifying. He could barely face it. The only other choice was.. to go inside.

He was scared, he wouldn't deny it. If he were to show himself in public, it would honestly be for the first time in eleven years. Eleven long years of living in almost complete solitude..

The last time he had faced society, he had been sixteen and on a mission to get his driver's license, strangely enough. Erik liked cars. He always had. So, it wasn't unthinkable that he would wish to drive one. It had taken weeks of preparation to get ready for the 'big day', the day when he would face people. Nadir had been unsure, which should have served as a sign, but Erik had been determined. He wanted to drive a car legally. They had gone together, and Nadir stayed with him the entire time.

All in all, it had been one huge disaster. He didn't get his driver's license because, to get one, he couldn't have his mask in the picture. Erik had refused to take it off. Actually, he had caused quite a scene, one that the people who had witnessed it would probably never forget. After that, Erik stayed away from cars for years until one day, unexpectedly, he decided he didn't need a license to drive. Using some of the fortune he had made with his music, he purchased a black Rolls Royce Phantom, and that was that.

While still standing in his closet, Erik thought about how he had felt when he made that spontaneous decision three years before. He had gone against logic and rules, and nothing had gone wrong. _So perhaps nothing will go wrong tonight… If I go against logic and rules, meaning if I go against the fact that someone like me should stay indoors at all times, and if I keep under control, then I can face humans for one night. If it means I can see Christine, then by all means, I will take the opportunity._

Erik didn't allow himself to consider the opposing side, the side that was shouting, 'Don't go!'. Instead, he focused on what to wear. He wanted to appear as inconspicuous as possible…although it wasn't possible. _I cannot think that way, though! _Erik needed to keep his mind as far away from the mask as possible. _Hmm.. What would Nadir wear? _He frowned while envisioning his friend. Nadir's style certainly didn't match his own. Nadir wore color. Erik wore black and white. It was as simple as that.

In the end, he decided on a pair of black loafers, black pants, a white button down shirt, and his favorite black coat. He looked like he always looked, and the stubborn side of him saw nothing wrong with that.

His hair was an issue. He usually never did a thing with it, which meant his bangs always hung over his forehead down to where his eyebrows would be, if he had any. Not being able to overlook the mask, Erik knew he wanted to cover as much of it as possible. After debating how to style it, which would be difficult without a mirror, he finally decided to leave it how he always left it. Perhaps it wasn't a sophisticated look to go with his attire, but at least it would cover a small portion of the very thing he despised- his mask.

"I'm going for a drive," Erik told a puzzled Nadir while passing by the kitchen. It was 9:00 pm when he left the mansion. His nerves and dread were covering up any sort of excitement he might have otherwise possessed, but it didn't stop him from continuing to drive towards the Macaroni Grill.

He arrived within fifteen minutes and parked as far away from the restaurant as possible. _What are you doing? _part of him asked. _What are you thinking coming here? You do not belong here. _Erik's eyes fell to his lap as sadness overtook him.

_You can do this, Erik, _another side of him cheered. _You wish to see her, don't you? Do not let anything stop you. If it goes horribly wrong, then you can go back home and never leave again. _He nodded slightly. Every person had a reasonable side within them, and that was his. _Alright, I'll go. _

With determination, Erik stepped out of his beloved car, locked the doors, and walked towards the restaurant.

There wasn't a wait for a table, and he was glad for that. He approached the hostess who was turned away talking to a co-worker. "A table for one," he said, using a gruff tone.

The girl actually jumped, not having heard the man come in. When she turned towards him, her eyes widened in initial fear.

Erik took the time to glance at her name tag, which didn't say 'Christine', before glaring at the terrified look on her face. "A table for one," he repeated, his voice icy.

"Ok," she squeaked. Her co-worker, whose name also wasn't Christine, had the same look on her face. She grabbed a menu and a napkin wrapped around silverware before quickly leading him towards a table.

Erik shook his head and said, "No, I would like that table." He pointed towards a table in the far left corner of the restaurant.

"Of course," she replied hesitantly before leading him that way.

While walking, Erik refused to look around. He already knew what he would see- people staring. The hostess placed his menu and silverware on the table before practically running away.

He sat down and murmured, "How rude," before taking a deep breath to try to feel more comfortable. It was only after feeling as self-secure as he could in such a place that he decided to look around. The restaurant was tastefully decorated, and the music was nice. The atmosphere was somewhat calming, which pleased Erik. Besides the people he'd encountered thus far, he supposed this was a decent place for Christine. _Christine... _She was the only person who mattered, and she was nowhere around. He frowned. _She can't already be gone… But what if she is? _

A male waiter approached the table tentatively, obviously already having heard that there was a man with a mask in the restaurant. "Welcome to the Macaroni Gr-"

"I will have a glass of your finest full-bodied red wine, and that will be all for the evening," Erik rudely interrupted. If they wanted to be rude, then he would be ruder.

The waiter was relieved, for it meant he wouldn't have to spend much time with the creepy new customer. "Yes, it will be right out." He quickly walked away.

Erik hadn't expected to find class in anyone, and his expectations were proving to be accurate. He sighed in a bored-like way and looked down at the wine menu to see what he would be drinking. A French wine was what he had wanted, but it looked like a wine from California would have to do. It didn't matter, because he wasn't there for the wine. Erik looked around the restaurant again, his keen eyes looking for a specific name tag. _She isn't here. She simply isn't here... Shall I leave now? _

The waiter returned with his glass of wine and set it on the table before standing still awkwardly. "Would you-"

It was at that particular moment that it happened. Erik instantly held up his hand up in a silencing manner when the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard graced his ears and filled the restaurant. Silence filled the large room. He froze in place with his hand still held up, but the waiter didn't even need it. He was in the same state as Erik, except that he was actually looking at her.

Erik couldn't move. To move would be to disrupt the voice, so he only listened. Being that he only listened, he couldn't see her, because his head was turned in a different direction. She was singing the 'Happy Birthday' song in Italian. It was an extremely simple piece, yes, but she sang it in a way that would be impossible to match. The sound drowned out the uncivilized people around him and reminded him of the real reason he was there… for her and no one else.

When the song ended, applause could be heard throughout the entire restaurant. It was a good thing it happened, too, or else Erik wouldn't have woken from his trance. He gasped, and his eyes darted towards the left to where she was standing. Yet again, his body froze. _She… _For any other person, it would have taken at least a few moments to realize the connection, but for Erik, it was instantaneous. _The girl in pajamas from the day I took music to Nadir.. They are one and the same._

He blinked. And then he laughed. Erik actually laughed. The surprise and recognition were just so sudden. He couldn't help himself.

"S-sir?" the waiter asked uncertainly.

Erik's laughter stopped abruptly as he remembered where he was, and he looked up at his waiter who was standing there gawking at him. "Go away," he whispered harshly. His eyes turned back to Christine who was being thanked by the person she had sung to. He studied her appearance. She had porcelain skin, chocolate brown curly hair, green eyes, and a small frame. She wasn't wearing pajamas tonight. Instead, she wore a knee-length black skirt and a pale pink blouse. She gave off a kind, modest air, just as he knew she would.

Honestly, he hadn't known what to expect. He wasn't so shallow as to have wanted to see beauty. What kind of hypocrite would that make him? Actually, with his luck, he wouldn't have been surprised if she had a deformity of her own. What he wasn't expecting was what he saw. Her appearance was just as perfect as her voice. Not that it truly mattered, for he wasn't one to judge others by their outward appearance, but… well, it seemed his enamor with her was growing more and more.

A new feeling was beginning to emerge as he continued to watch her. The fact that she was so beautiful struck fear within him. _I can never show myself to her. Not that I ever really thought I could, but now.. I would never tarnish her beauty with my own monstrous appearance. She looks to be a completely flawless and perfect being. _He wasn't disappointed by it. Not a living soul could be disappointed by such a sight. But it evoked a timidness in him that he'd never felt before. _Damn, _he thought while wishing to leave right then and there.

* * *

Christine listened and blushed profusely as applause erupted around her. To think, they were clapping for her. She smiled for everyone to see before turning to the elderly woman she had sung for. "Happy Birthday," she said sincerely.

The old woman could only shake her head lightly. "You have such a pretty voice. Thank you so much for singing. You've made my birthday a memorable one."

Blushing again, Christine said, "You're welcome," before turning to leave. As she was turning, though, something caught her eye. Or, well, some_one _caught her eye. She could faintly recall hearing the rumor that a man in a mask was in the restaurant, but she had been so nervous about singing that she had barely listened. Now, however, she saw him for the first time. He was looking down towards the table, so she allowed herself a few moments to stare.

It immediately angered her that people could be so judgmental. The poor guy had come for -she saw a glass of wine on the table- wine, and he couldn't even drink in peace. He had to have known that people were talking about him, too.. so maybe that was why he looked somewhat downtrodden, although she couldn't be sure that was what he was feeling for the mask.

She knew it was time to get back to work, so she gave him one last apologetic glance before walking away. _I hope you have a good night, stranger._

* * *

Erik forced himself not to look at her again, for he was unworthy. The restaurant eventually seemed to quiet down, so he assumed she was gone. It was time to leave. He stood from the table and reached into his wallet to pull out the first bill that reached his hand. It proved to be a 50, and he shrugged before dropping it on the table. Then, he walked towards the entrance and left without so much as a glance towards the impolite hostesses.

Once in his car, he rested his masked face against the steering wheel briefly. _What was I thinking coming here? What a fool I am. _A dejected sigh escaped him, and he sat up and started the ignition while making an inward decision. _We can continue emailing, but I shall never see her again. _

Little did he know, it was going to be impossible to keep that promise. His temptations and his longing were soon to override all else.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Hey Meg, it's Christine Dupree. Remember me?" Christine asked jokingly into her cell phone.

Meg let out an excited squeal. "Christine! It has been forever!" She wished she could hug her best friend, but alas, they were having a phone conversation and she was 3,000 miles away visiting her dad in California.

Christine laughed and held the cell phone away from her ear a bit because of how loud Meg was. "I know! We haven't talked once since you left." Not that she'd really had much time to talk to her friend, which was an interesting fact. Christine had really thought she would be bored over the summer without Meg around to keep her company, but that wasn't the case at all. It was all because of a website on the Internet, too.

"Well, I've been kind of busy exploring the city and finding a job. Get this, I'm working at a pet shop. _Me_."

She was surprised to hear that, considering Meg pretty much detested animals. A cat she used to own had turned out to be quite the little demon. Meg still had scars from its scratches. "_You_? Really? How did that happen?" Christine relaxed in her computer chair and turned away from the computer screen to prevent herself from clicking the 'Refresh' button.

Meg explained, "Well, it's harder than I thought getting a job over here. Searching for a job in Richmond is so much easier, trust me. So I applied _everywhere_, no kidding, and my very last choice was a pet shop. As it turned out, with my bad luck, they were the only place that called. I went for an interview, and voila. Here I am. But, you know what?"

"What?" Christine asked, although she had a feeling she knew what Meg was about to say.

"It's really not so bad. I'm growing to appreciate animals again. I think that psycho cat I used to have was rare, because most of the animals at the pet shop are nothing like she was." She shrugged. "And that's all I've been doing this summer so far, except for shopping every chance I get. You know me." She remembered something and said, "Oh, but there is this guy I'm talking to at work. He's so hot, Christine. He has his eyebrow pierced!"

Christine laughed. All she was hearing was so very Meg-like. She really did miss her. "You always did think guys with eyebrow piercings were sexy. I'm glad you've found someone who agrees." She laughed again.

"Yes, I definitely found someone who agrees… But enough about me. What have you been doing? Tell me everything," she demanded cheerfully.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Christine said with false boredom. "Getting a new job, emailing a guy constantly, and getting ready to get a new step dad…"

Meg's eyes widened. "What? A new step dad? Are you serious?"

"Yeah," she replied. "My mom's been seeing this guy named Jeremy behind our backs. I was really mad at first, but it turns out that he's nice. And she's happy, so I'm happy for her."

"That's great, Christine," Meg said sincerely. "I'm really glad she's happy. I remember how we used to always think she was so sad all the time."

Christine agreed. "She was sad. She was miserable, actually. But not now. She's so in love, it's really funny to see."

Meg gasped. "When are they getting married? Am I going to be able to be there for it?" She'd always loved weddings. "I'll freaking fly over there if I have to."

"I don't know yet. I'll tell you as soon as I find out, though."

There was a short pause before Meg moved onto the other things Christine had told her. "You got a new job? Where at?"

"The Macaroni Grill," Christine replied. "I'm a waitress/singer. I started last night and made 105 dollars, so I'm pretty happy at the moment." She laughed.

"Whoa, that much in one night? Sign me up! No, but that's good that you got a new job. You always hated Ruby Tuesday. And you get to sing? That's great!"

It was always so easy to mimic Meg's bubbly personality. Christine didn't even have to try. That was one of the many reasons she loved her best friend so much. "Yeah, I'm really excited about it. The manager wants me working there at least five nights a week. I think I'm going to be pretty busy."

Meg nodded. "You and me both. So. The guy you're emailing. It wouldn't happen to be off that website you were telling me about before I left, would it?"

Christine grinned and giggled unintentionally. "You have a good memory. Yep, same guy."

It wasn't difficult to take notice of Christine's sudden giddiness, and Meg grinned knowingly. Her friend had a crush on this person, no doubt about it. "Well, tell me about him. What's he like?"

"Well, he's into music," Christine replied.

"Just like you." Meg was still grinning.

"Yeah, just like me. I mean, he's _really _into it. He's helped me a lot with my voice, and I didn't even think that could be possible through email. He's also been giving me advice about things. He's just so nice. I tell him everything."

When hearing this, Meg frowned. "Everything? Christine, don't you remember what I told you about websites like that? You can't trust them."

Christine became defensive. Why did Meg and Brian have to talk about the danger of it? "Look, I know some sites can be dangerous, but that's not the case here. I can trust Erik."

"What all have you told him?" Horrified, she asked, "He doesn't know where you live, does he?"

"Well.."

"Christine! This isn't good!"

Now it was Christine's turn to frown. "So what if he knows? I trust him, remember?"

"Do you know where he lives?" She really was worried about her friend. Christine always was too trusting and innocent.

"Yeah, he lives here in Richmond," she replied without really thinking. If she had thought about it, she might have lied and said she had no idea, especially considering Meg's next reaction.

Meg stood from her seat and began pacing the room she was in anxiously. "Ok, let's just think about this for a second. He knows where you live, you know where he lives, you both live in Richmond… What else have you told him? Does he know your exact location?"

Christine rolled her eyes. Meg was panicking for no reason. "No, Meg, of course not." Something did occur to her, though. In the second to last email she'd sent him, she'd told him about her new job… "Oh.."

"What?" Meg asked frantically. "What did you tell him?"

"I kind of might have told him where I work."

Meg stopped walking and rubbed her forehead. "That's just great, Christine," she said sarcastically. "This guy could be some criminal. What if he finds you? What then? He could kill you, or kidnap you, or rape you, or all three-"

"Stop it," Christine interrupted. "Look, I know you care about me, and that's really sweet. I really appreciate it, but I'm a big girl. I can handle myself. Plus, you don't see me freaking out over the guy you're talking to. Why do you have to freak out over mine?"

She hit her forehead with her hand in a 'Duh!' sort of way. "I know Dylan. I see him everyday. You, on the other hand, have never met this guy, Erik. He might not be who he says he is." She spoke slowly and carefully, emphasizing each word of her last sentence.

Christine sighed and ran her fingers through her long curls. "Well, if he's not, then I'll deal with it. Please, stop worrying. I'm fine. Really."

Meg finally did settle down some. "I guess I am starting to sound like a parent."

"Yeah, it's really out of character for you."

She chuckled but was still uneasy. "Well, I can't say that I approve… _But_, if he really is who he says he is, then I'm happy for you. Who knows, maybe after you know for sure that he's a good guy, the two of you can meet somewhere. Talk over coffee or something, you know?"

Christine had to inwardly admit that that was exactly what she wanted. But was it what _he _wanted? He was just such a private person… Never saying a word about himself… She always did all the talking… And he seemed so interested in everything she said… And he kept wanting her to send recordings of herself singing… And he now knew where she worked… Meg's words kept ringing in her mind. _'He might not be who he says he is.' _Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. "Yeah, who knows, maybe something like that could happen." Christine's mind was no longer on their conversation, though.

Meg glanced at her clock. "Well girl, I'd better get going. I need to get ready for work. Four hours behind your time, remember?" she asked, referring to her time zone.

"Yeah," Christine replied, her voice a little distant as her mind was still preoccupied.

"Think about what I told you, ok?"

"Ok." She already was.

"And be good. I really miss you."

Christine snapped out of it long enough to honestly say, "I miss you, too. Have fun at work. Or, what I mean to say is, have fun with Dylan."

Meg laughed. "Oh, you know I will. I'll talk to you later. Bye, Christine."

"Bye, Meg." Christine ended the call and sat still, her thoughts returning to Erik. _'He might not be who he says he is.'_

* * *

Erik was completely miserable as he sat in front of his computer. A dejected sigh left his lips and his eyes closed. _The beautiful angel has not emailed me… It is Sunday. We haven't communicated since Thursday night. _To his utmost horror, he found he was on the verge of tears. _She has the power to cause tears? When did this happen? _

Only he knew the answer to his question. _She gained that power the very moment I heard her voice. Before that, she was but a girl with interests and feelings that related to my own. But then.. she just had to sing. She just had to reach into my soul… _He felt so hurt by it all. She didn't miss him, and the fact that she had looked and sounded so happy when he saw her the night before only contributed to the fact that she felt nothing.

Christine had blinded him. And yet, he was still blinded by her. She was kind and charming, everything he had ever dreamt of.

She could never be his, though, and Erik couldn't help but inwardly admit that it was what he truly wanted. But they came from two very different worlds. She was the sun, he was the night. Before, his mind had been able to see that opposites could attract. Now, however, he knew he had been wrong.

He stared for a moment at the empty email Inbox on his computer screen before looking away. _Is it really over? Am I to move on now? Do I even possess the power to move on?_

* * *

It had now been an hour since she'd talked to Meg, and Christine was quickly becoming annoyed with her seemingly endless bad thoughts. _It's Sunday afternoon.. Erik and I haven't talked since Thursday night. And here I am wasting time! I should be making a new recording of _The Angel_. What am I doing sitting here? _

Without giving Meg's words another thought, she quickly got to her feet and grabbed her purse, music, and a cassette tape recorder. She only hoped she knew how to convert a tape recording to CD and then to computer.

Brian was at work and her mother was with Jeremy, so she didn't need to tell anyone where she was going. Determined, Christine set off towards her car to drive to her teacher's church. Since it was a Sunday, she feared people would be there… But it didn't matter. _I have to do this. God only knows what Erik is thinking right now.. Maybe he doesn't care that I haven't emailed him since Thursday, but what if he does care? What if he thinks I'm stopping our emails altogether?_

With Frustration and impatience, Christine ran into the church and to the choir room. No one was around, which was relieving. Once she was sitting on the piano bench to warm up, she realized that it was going to be impossible to sing in the mood she was in. _Calm down… Shh.. _She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing for about a minute before opening them again. _Ready. _

She sang until she was literally too exhausted to continue. It was going on 7:00 pm, meaning she had spent four hours at the church. It took nineteen tries to even make a _decent_ recording, and then ten more to make a recording that she was satisfied with. Christine was exhausted, head to toe, but she was also itching to send an email and her recording to Erik. It seemed like she had so much to tell him! Going this many days without corresponding had definitely been the wrong decision.

* * *

Erik was sitting on his piano bench in the music room, but he couldn't play. He couldn't even move. _She has paralyzed me. _

"Erik?"

Nadir's voice came from the doorway, and Erik didn't even look at him before asking, "Yes?" in monotone.

"What is wrong?" Nadir was truly concerned. His friend seemed frozen on the piano bench, and his tone was lifeless.

_Everything. _"Nothing. Leave me."

"Well, actually, I came to find you for a reason." Perhaps Erik sounded so down for a specific reason…something that Nadir was about to fix. "I was walking towards the kitchen just now when I heard a sound. It came from your computer room, and if I'm not mistaken, it was a voice that said, 'Message received'. I just thought I would let you know-"

"Nadir?" Erik interrupted using the same tone as before.

"Yes?" _Was my thinking wrong? Does he sound depressed for another reason? _

"Is what you just told me true?" He wanted to be sure… Even if Nadir was stating the truth, though, he couldn't overreact. The message received could mean many things..

"Yes," he replied. "That is what I heard."

"Well.. Thank you for telling me. You may leave now." Erik sat still and waited until he was sure that Nadir was far away from the computer room. Then, he took a shaky breath and stood. Erik proceeded to sprint towards his computer. He was there in a matter of seconds. _Nadir was right, _he thought while looking at the screen. _Christine has sent me an email._

_It could be bad… It could be good… She could be saying goodbye… She could be saying hello and apologizing… She could be- _His thoughts were getting him nowhere. _Curse my annoying mind! _he thought before raising his hands in the air and slamming them down upon the desk. The loud noise it made caused him to blink in surprise. _Well, alright then.._

**Dear Erik,**

**I don't know how to apologize enough for my rudeness. I am so sorry I haven't replied to your most recent email until now. I guess I should give you my excuses. There are only two, and one is more significant than the other. First, both of my jobs have been time consuming. Second, I have been practicing. **

**The second excuse is my real reason for not emailing. I made a promise with myself that I wouldn't email you again until I was sure **_**The Angel **_**was sung to the best of my ability. Well, I have practiced for many hours. The result is attached to this email. I only hope it proves to be better than the previous recording. I tried to relate to the meaning of the song, and I sang with you in mind. I would like for you to be honest about what you think when you reply. That is, if you reply to this email at all... I fully understand if you do not want to continue emailing. After all, I was extremely rude.**

**I feel like I have so much to tell you. My mom and Jeremy are doing well. They spend nearly every minute together. I learned that Jeremy is a teacher, just like my mom. They are both out of school for the summer, so they spend most of their time together. I think that is a good thing. I feel like my mom would be extremely bored if she were to stay at home all summer. Brian and I are usually pretty busy, so she would probably be lonely. So, well, I'm happy that she's happy. **

**I started my new job last night. I have to say, it exceeded my expectations. Everyone was nice, I was a waitress for five tables, and I sang three times. Of course, not everything was perfect. There was one incident that really made me angry. It was something my co-workers were talking about and spreading to anyone who would listen. I'm not one to gossip, though, so I will just say that people are far too judgmental. Many people are huge disappointments to society. If they could just put themselves in another person's shoes for one moment and know what cruelty feels like, then they would see that nothing good comes from making fun of a person who has done nothing to deserve it. Actually, it is never good to make fun of anyone for any reason, in my opinion. Now, I will end my rant.**

**Well, I suppose this is all I can think of to tell you for now. How are you doing? I remember you telling me that you are a composer. Have you composed any new pieces? Please know that I would feel honored to hear your music. Feel free to send me a recording anytime. How are things going with Nadir?**

**I really hope we can continue emailing. Again, I am sorry for not responding to your email until now.**

**Hoping you will reply,**

**-Christine **

Erik read the fourth paragraph of the email many, many times. He, of course, wondered if she was referring to him. Who else could her co-workers have made fun of? No, there was only one logical answer. _I cannot believe this. _Had she actually _seen _him or only _heard_ what others were saying about him? She most definitely wouldn't have been so kind if she had _seen_ him.. would she? But, if she had only _heard _about him, then her words were probably not hard to think of. Oh, if he only knew which was the truth!

As he continued to read it time and time again, trying to uncover the hidden answer, her words seemed to do something else, something unexpected. They seemed to break through a barrier he had always tried to uphold. He had always felt the need to guard himself from everyone and everything. That was the nature of his existence. Her kindness had somehow gotten through, though. _Is this… a miracle? _

He honestly had no idea. What he did know was that he was beginning to cherish her to such an extent that it scared him. _How is it that she can do what no one else can? _She was the only person who could warm his cold heart. The beautiful, kind angel was becoming something much more potent to him.

Speaking of the angel… Erik found he was yearning to listen to her new recording of _The Angel._ He quickly downloaded the attachment and prepared himself. Whether it be good or bad, it would not change his feelings for her. Nothing could. There was no going back..

The recording finished downloading, and Erik sucked in a breath before he opened it and waited for what was to come. The moment her voice filled the room, a soft, content sigh escaped him. His eyes closed peacefully as he listened. She had, indeed, brought more emotion to the piece. It was obvious that she now understood its meaning, and he as a listener was easily captivated. She had conquered it. She had mastered it. _That's my angel, _he thought proudly.

He listened to it three consecutive times before leaning back in his seat and letting out a sigh. _My angel… _That was what she had now become. Before, she was _the _angel, but now she was _his _angel.

One thing he knew for certain. He could not keep the promise he had made the night before. He would most definitely have to see her and hear her again. There was no choice.

_Now, I must find out when she works again. _He began typing his reply email.

* * *

Christine hummed a simple tune while clicking the 'Refresh' button repeatedly. She was bored, and there was nothing else to do. Her brother was out spending time with some of his work friends and her mother was still with Jeremy. She was left by herself, and when she was by herself, only one thing seemed appealing- Pen-a-Pal.

She wondered why no other Internet websites interested her at all. Usually, girls her age visited numerous web pages and were addicted to many different sites. Not Christine, though. All of her interest was wrapped up in one person.

_I'm pretty obsessed with him, aren't I? _Up until now, she had been able to declare that her obsession was with the website, but the truth was so obvious. Yes, she was obsessed with Pen-a-Pal, but really, what was Pen-a-Pal? It was Erik, or at least that's what it was to her. She couldn't deny it any longer… _I think I might have a crush on someone I've never met before. _

It took a while to get used to that feeling. In fact, she was still trying to get used to it when, after clicking 'Refresh' for almost the hundredth time, an email suddenly appeared. If the computer volume hadn't been on Mute, she would have heard the two lovely words, "Message Received".

Christine clicked the appropriate button and began to read.

**Dear Christine,**

**Without a doubt, I wish to continue emailing. As I have told you before, your emails are the highlight of my life.**

**I will begin with your recording, as I am sure that it is what you are most anxious to read about. Christine, you did it. You mastered the piece. You sang it with extraordinary ease, and your voice glided across the phrases gracefully. I am very proud of you. If you are willing, would you share with me the way you practice? What warm-ups do you begin with? What vocal techniques are you most fond of? Also, how large is your vocal range? Judging by what I hear, it sounds like you have a remarkable range. Perhaps we can exchange methods. For now, let me just say that you are inspiring. I am in awe of your talent.**

**It sounds like your job is going well. I am glad. I suppose the manager will want you to work quite often? If it were me, I would like working evening shifts better than morning/afternoon shifts. Which do you prefer? **

**It seems you spoke to my heart when I read your thoughts on the judgmental members of our society. Life can be a very cruel game, indeed. At times, nothing seems fair, and it does not help when there are spiteful people attempting gain their own satisfaction by making fun of others. I agree, it is never right to make fun of any individual for any reason. I feel that I am ranting, as you felt you were. I will stop now.**

**Nadir is well. He can sometimes be a nuisance, but when the timing is right, I enjoy his company. I make it sound like I do not appreciate him. In truth, I owe him a great deal. As for sending you a recording, I will think about it. Believe me, it is nothing against you that I do not send one. I am used to privacy, though. I am not accustomed to openly sharing my music with others. Give me a little more time. In the meantime, I am sorry.**

**I want to thank you for sharing your music with me. I look forward to future emails.**

**-Erik**

Christine was grinning like a giddy school girl by the end of the email. Of course, she had to read through it again in order to really take it all in. When she was through, she found that her first feeling was pride. Erik had actually talked about himself. It was shocking. _And he might send me a recording! _Was it silly that it made her feel highly significant?

She also felt extremely grateful, thankful, and unworthy to receive such compliments about her voice. Erik really did have a way with words. They always seemed to make her blush.

What he said about life being a 'very cruel game' made her feel sad, as if he were talking about his own life. He couldn't have been, though… Or, at least, she hoped he wasn't. Christine wanted him to lead a very comfortable, fulfilling life. That was the kind of life he deserved.

Overall, she felt like they had a lot in common. Music, their liking to work night shifts, their thoughts on the judgmental society, and she could even relate to his thoughts on sharing recordings. She, like him, felt that her recordings were a private part of her life… But, unlike him, she trusted him enough to share them with him. _Maybe he can learn to trust me soon. _She really hoped he would find it within himself to confide in her.

The fact that she got so happy when he shared any piece of information about himself, that he could make her blush profusely, that they shared so much in common, and that she trusted him was really causing her to think even more about her feelings towards him. _I really do like him, don't I? I really, really like him._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_**It sounds like your job is going well. I am glad. I suppose the manager will want you to work quite often? If it were me, I would like working evening shifts better than morning/afternoon shifts. Which do you prefer? **_That had been a question Erik asked Christine in his most recent email. It was his way of subtly dragging information out of her. He had only hoped she would unknowingly comply and give him what he wanted to hear… for he wished to see her again, badly, if only from a distance.

As Erik had hoped, Christine did answer his questions in an email he received late Sunday night. She had thanked him for his compliments about her voice, she'd told him that she liked that they had so much in common, and she'd given him what he really wanted.

**Yet another thing we have in common is that you like working evening shifts. So do I. Morning/afternoon shifts are just not as appealing as working night hours. I'm not quite sure why that is. ** **Actually, I am working night shifts at the Macaroni Grill every night this week starting tomorrow. I guess I will be busy, but I'm glad. The more I work, the more money I make. It will go towards my college fund. **

She had gone on to say that the other job she was in the process of quitting had her on the schedule every lunch shift this week. His angel would be busy, indeed. She had given him a detailed version of her life, which he would normally have frowned upon. After all, he was still a stranger. But… He had gotten the information he wanted, so all was well.

Erik was beginning to worry, though. He sounded like the common stalker. _Is that what I am turning into? _He'd never experienced such feelings before, so he didn't know how to handle them. He was friends with a female, and he knew the friendship was turning into something more. And when Erik was fond of something, he was _really _fond of something, meaning he would go to any lengths in order to keep it close.

But this was a person, not something as trivial as an automobile or musical instrument. A living, breathing young woman with a heart and a voice… oh, that voice.. He could die happy listening to it.

_You're obsessed, _his mind accused, yet he couldn't deny this accusation. It was true, and he would just have to get used to it. In the meantime, he would do anything to be near her again. That was why he would see Christine again. _Tonight. _

It was early Monday evening, and Erik planned on arriving at the restaurant the same time as he had Saturday night. He would just have to start getting used to receiving rude stares from uncivilized people, because nothing would stop him from seeing Christine.

9:00 pm came quickly. Erik was glad. He was ready. So, with a quick, "I will return", to Nadir, he got into his Rolls Royce and drove to the Macaroni Grill.

* * *

Christine was exhausted, and it was only Monday night. _I still have five more days of this… Working at Ruby Tuesday from 10:00 am-3:00 pm and Macaroni Grill from 5:00 pm-11:00 pm.. Every day.. _Just the thought of it was exhausting enough, but to actually experience it firsthand was something else.

It was going on 9:00 pm. She'd sung two times and was in the process of waiting three tables. The three parties were finishing their meals. The restaurant was really clearing out fairly quickly. _Meaning I can take my break soon. _The thought was relieving.

After taking her last tip from the third table, which consisted of seven dollars, Christine grinned and began walking towards the kitchen so that she could say she was taking her fifteen minute break.

Suddenly, though, something caught her peripheral vision and she turned to see what it was. It was the same masked man from Saturday night. He was back.

At first, she was shocked. Honestly, Christine had no idea why he would wish to return. Everyone had been so cruel. _If I were him, I'd never step foot in this place again. _While continuing to look at him, she gasped when, suddenly, his eyes found hers from his place at the hostess station. One of the hostesses was about to seat him, but the man just continued to stare evenly.

Christine couldn't help but stare back.. There was something about him so compelling that her eyes were hooked. It wasn't his mask, though.. It was something else about him.

Abruptly, she realized what she was doing and forced herself to look away. Then, while looking down at the floor, it came to her. _I can't let another rude person wait his table. He doesn't deserve to be treated so horribly again. I should be his waitress. _The fact that she had previously been about to take her break left her mind, and she approached Tim, who had been about to walk to the masked man's table. "Hey, I'll take his table."

Tim blinked before smiling in relief. "Thanks, Christine. I didn't want to have to do it. I owe you. I'll sing just for you later!" he exclaimed before winking and walking away, probably about to take his break.

Christine just shook her head. Tim was a flirt.. a very self-confident flirt. Most of the female workers liked it, but she didn't. All his actions did was make her feel uncomfortable. Shrugging, Christine found she wasn't jealous that she wasn't in his place taking a break. She really, genuinely wanted to serve the man.

She waited until the hostess walked away before heading towards his table.

* * *

Erik entered the parking lot and found that it wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been on Saturday night. The knowledge increased his ever-increasing nerves. _Is this truly a good idea? _Less people meant that there was a greater chance of Christine seeing him, and at this point, he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing… If he'd been faced with the same question on Saturday night, he would have turned back.

Two days ago, he hadn't wanted Christine to see him. Currently, however, his obsessed mind was causing him to actually _want _her to notice him. _My senses have left me._

He entered the restaurant and walked to where the hostesses stood. His eyes were filled with anger. They were the same two hostesses from Saturday night. "Table for one," he announced icily.

Just as on Saturday, they were fearful of him again. It was irritating, yes, but their reactions were boring above all else. He let his eyes travel the restaurant. Of course, he was looking for _her_. His eyes moved slowly, carefully, until they surprisingly found hers. Christine was looking right at him! _She has found me… _Though the realization should have scared him, he couldn't help but continue to stare at her unblinkingly. With his uncanny vision, Erik could see that her eyes were an amazing green. They complimented her dark hair and fair complexion nicely. She was stunning.

The moment broke when the hostess cleared her throat. Erik looked at her and spat, "What?"

She actually jumped. "Um," she stuttered. "Y-your table…"

He was led to the exact table he had been seated at on Saturday night. Grumpily, Erik sat and looked down at the wine menu, waiting for her to walk away. _Such fear. She doesn't even attempt to hide her dislike-_

"Hello, welcome to the Macaroni Grill," a pleasant female voice said from his left.

Erik's eyes widened immediately. _S-she… _He sat frozen while staring straight ahead. It was _her.. her! _He blinked, quickly trying to gain a nonchalant expression, before turning his head to look up at her. _Christine.. _Her calming expression alone was hypnotizing, and he couldn't speak.

"Um, would you like to know our specials?" the angel asked, her tone uncertain.

_Pull yourself together, Erik! _"No," he replied softly, although it wasn't exactly what he had meant to say. Except… perhaps he needed a moment alone to gather his thoughts. To have _her _as his waitress was completely unexpected. "I'll.. have a glass of water." _Water? What kind of drink order is that? _He said nothing else but continued gawking at her.

"Of course," she said with a precious smile. "I'll be right back."

Erik watched her walk away with a dumb expression on his face. _Her voice is so soothing… Alright Erik, that is enough! _He straightened in his seat, finally regaining his right mind. _Just because she is your waitress does not give you permission to make a complete fool of yourself! _With a slight shake of his head, he finally regained full control. _I will not ruin this. _

Everything was already ruined, though.. Right? She'd seen him, she'd approached him, and she'd talked to him. All hopes of their never meeting were gone. How would this affect their emails? She would find out that she was communicating with a monster, and then-.. _She does not know I am the one emailing her. _The remembrance caused him to consider things. _Since she does not know, then I certainly will not tell her. She will be Christine, and I will be… _He didn't have time to think on it further, because the angel was walking towards him.

He forced himself not to stare like an entranced idiot as she approached. When she set his glass of water on the table, he looked into her eyes and said in his silkiest voice, "Forgive me for my lack of intelligence before, Christine." The sound of his voice and the words that he had just spoken surprised him. Erik had no idea what he was doing, but there was obviously some part of him that did. _How interesting.._

Now it was she who looked taken aback. Erik chuckled. "Your name is on your name tag," he pointed out with a small smile.

"Oh, right," she said, her voice a bit flustered.

"Thank you for my drink." Erik's tone remained even and controlled, as if the way he was acting were nothing new. It did please him that his voice seemed to be affecting her, though.

"Y-you're welcome," she responded, stumbling over her words. It appeared that she was trying to regain her own composure just as he had been forced to before. After a moment, her friendly smile returned. It seemed her initial surprise had passed. "Would you like to try an appetizer tonight?"

Her caring nature was so completely wonderful that Erik couldn't help but stare into her eyes with an intensity that would surely scare any other person. All it did was make an attractive blush cover her cheeks. "No, but thank you for asking," he said smoothly. Erik never used good manners, _ever_, but they came out unintentionally with Christine.

She nodded and laughed a little, which Erik found equally as attractive as her blush. "Are you ready to order your meal, then?"

He smiled and replied, "I don't think I will be eating tonight. Instead, I would like a glass of your Cabernet Sauvignon." The girl seemed a little uncertain by his words. She probably had never served an alcoholic beverage in this restaurant before, as it was only her second night. "Unless you can suggest something better?" he asked patiently.

She laughed, and Erik found the sound to be beautiful. "I'm afraid not. It's just, we have a wide selection of Cabernet Sauvignon. Which would you like?"

Now Erik felt like an idiot. It was enough to almost make him lose whatever sort of outward transformation he seemed to be having. _Of course… _His eyes left hers for only a moment to regain control and find which wine he wanted from the menu. "Your Coppola Diamond Collection Claret." His eyes instantly found hers again. He felt such a sense of peace when he looked into them.

Christine nodded and smiled in a professional way. "I'll have it right out for you."

"No rush," he told her gently.

She backed away three steps while still looking at him before turning and walking away. Erik could only sit and bask in his emotions while pondering over how strange he was acting towards her.

* * *

Christine's heart was pounding as she walked away from him. It wasn't fear she felt, as her co-workers had. He was just so intense! His light blue eyes seemed to see right through her into her mind, or her heart, or her soul… or somewhere. And if that wasn't enough, his voice! She'd never heard anything like it. His voice had a smooth, majestic sort of quality… It was something she couldn't describe in words. All she knew was, _his voice is really powerful. _

Clumsily, she got the glass of wine he ordered and began walking back to his table hoping she wouldn't trip and spill it everywhere.

He was waiting patiently, as if he had all the time in the world. Yet again, she wondered why he had come at all. _Is our wine selection really that good? _"Here you are," she said, placing the glass on the table next to his water. He looked into her eyes with the same intensity as before. "Um, if you need anything else… Well, you know the name to call," she joked. _Yeah, that's it. Just act normal._

She was about to walk away, but his next words stopped her in her tracks. "You must be tired," he said, using that same majestic tone that was drawing her in. "Would you like to sit down?"

"Um," she began while blushing. "Well-"

"I would enjoy the company," he said with a pleasant smile. "But, by all means, if there are other things you need to do, do not hesitate to tell me."

Christine opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. The way he seemed to take charge of the situation and the fact that he could tell she was tired made her feel… young again, strangely enough. Stranger still was that she kind of liked the feeling. _He's waiting for you to say something, Christine. Come on, this isn't a big deal. _"Sure, I can sit down for a few minutes."

He smiled. "Excellent." After waiting for her to sit, he immediately tried to take away the awkwardness. "You sing beautifully. I heard you on Saturday night," he told her.

A blush crept to her cheeks. It seemed that was all she could do in response to anything he said. "Thank you." To be modest, she pointed out, "The song was easy, though."

The man shrugged gracefully. "Nevertheless, it was quite a performance. I'm sure you received a number of compliments."

Christine shrugged, though it wasn't nearly as graceful as his. "Yeah, a few," she said with a small smile. They were silent for a few moments, but somehow it wasn't awkward. Christine was a little fascinated by him.. his intensity, his voice, his gracefulness.. his mask. _Who is this guy? _She decided to ask. "You know my name. What's yours?"

It was a simple question, but he noticeably hesitated before answering. "Noah," he replied softly. Then, to change subjects, he asked, "You're a fine waitress and singer. I am guessing you have worked here for quite some time?"

"Oh," she said, surprised by the sudden topic change. "No, I actually just started on Saturday."

"Really?" he asked. He looked to be truly astonished. "That is surprising."

This man, Noah, was just so casual, but at the same time, he was proper. Christine had never met anyone like him. "Do you come here often?"

With a firm shake of his head, he replied, "No. I have never found the service to be satisfactory." After a pause, he added, "Until now."

The flattering compliment made her blush. "Well, I need more practice. Come back in about a month, and I should be good."

A sigh escaped him, but he smiled. "I'm beginning to notice that you do not take compliments well. It's rare to find someone so humble."

Yet another compliment… Christine blushed again and found she had to look away from the intense way he was looking at her. _Maybe he's like this with everybody. _"I guess I was just raised to be this way." Even to her, those words seemed silly.

He seemed satisfied, though, and moved on. "You must be a trained singer. You receive voice lessons?" he asked, although it didn't really seem like a question.

Christine shook her head. "No, I just practice on my own."

His eyes widened. "Astonishing," he breathed.

Her lips curled upward. He made her feel so special that she was having a hard time finding something modest to say in response to his compliments. He was such a kind, polite man. There was really no reason to be frightened of him, and that knowledge made the anger she felt towards her co-workers grow.

"What are you thinking?" he asked intently.

She realized she had been lost in thought and instantly apologized. "I'm sorry."

With a warm smile, he said, "There is no reason for you to apologize. And you didn't answer my question."

Yet again, she blushed. _I'm not about to say that people are hateful and judgmental towards him. _"It's nothing," she reassured.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he accepted her words. "It seems we have caught the attention of some of your co-workers, though I am not sure which one of us they are looking at."

Christine sucked in a breath. Being with Noah had caused her to forget all about what she should be doing. _How could I be so forgetful? _Her eyes turned to see that Tim and three of her other co-workers were watching them.

Seeming to notice her change in demeanor, Noah said, "Don't worry, I'm sure they are looking at me, not you. They are merely wondering why you are sitting with someone like me."

His tone seemed sad, and it caused a powerful urge to build inside her. Turning, she glared at her co-workers until they got the message and looked away. Then, she turned back towards the man she was sitting with and said, "Don't pay attention to them. They're judgmental and stupid. If they were to talk to you, they'd realize that you're a good, kind person. But they won't. They'll just continue to stand there and act like immature children."

He seemed taken aback by her words, which made Christine feel strong and proud of herself. "Well, remind me not to get on your bad side," he said, his smile and cheerfulness returning. "Thank you for calling me kind."

It looked like what she'd said really meant a lot to him. Christine smiled sincerely. "You're welcome. I'm only telling the truth."

They were silent for a little while before he murmured, "It is rare to meet someone like you, Christine." Then, without giving her time to react, he suggested, "Perhaps you should get back to work now. I do not wish to cause problems."

Christine was about to tell him that she could stay a little longer, but maybe he was right. It was her second night on the job, and she was sitting with a masked customer. She wasn't even on an official break. _Oh no, I really could get in trouble for this. _"Thanks for reminding me. You aren't causing problems, though. I like talking to you. But you're right, I should probably get back to work."

"I like talking to you, as well."

Christine looked into his light blue eyes for a few seconds before finally standing, and he surprisingly followed suit. They were standing fairly close to one another, and she had to tilt her head up to look into his eyes. "This was nice. Thanks for letting me sit with you."

The same intensity as before returned to his eyes as he looked down at her. "I haven't had such a pleasant evening in very long time."

She blushed but boldly said, "Maybe you should come back some time so that we can talk again." _Where did that come from? Am I making a complete fool of myself? Am I actually… flirting? _The thought made her blush deepen.

He chuckled. "Yes, I should come back. I believe I will." After a pause, he continued, "Thank you for making this an enjoyable evening."

Christine watched curiously as he reached into his pocket. When he brought his hand back out, she couldn't see what he was holding. Then, without warning, he reached out his left hand and grasped her right wrist gently. He turned it so that her palm was facing upward and then placed what was in his right hand into hers. So that she still couldn't see what it was, he folded her fingers over it and then just held her hand between both of his. They stared at each other, both of them captivated. She was frozen in place with her lips slightly parted.

After what felt like a very significant thirty seconds but was really more like three, he let go of her hand and his lips curled upward. "Au revoir, Christine." Without any hesitation, he walked away. Christine tried to begin breathing normally again, and her eyes slowly turned to the untouched glass of wine on the table. She was absolutely stunned by everything that had just transpired, so much so that her vision was blurry.

Remembering that she was holding something in her hand, the hand that still tingled from his touch, she raised it and blinked several times before looking at what he had given her.

A very loud gasp escaped her lips, and her left hand moved upward to cover her mouth. What she was holding was an unbelievable amount of money. _150 dollars? _She almost dropped it but, instead, put it in her pocket with a shaky hand.

One thing was certain. This had definitely proven to be the strangest night of her life.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Where did you go?" Nadir asked trying to display nonchalance in his tone as he stood in the doorway of Erik's computer room. Really, he was quite curious and had been ever since Erik left the mansion two hours before. Now that he was back, Nadir wanted answers.

Erik was startled by the sudden question coming from behind him. He hadn't even heard Nadir approaching the room, which would have been very unusual under any other circumstance. Currently, however, his mind was preoccupied, and he didn't want to be disturbed. "What I do is not your concern," he said without turning to look at him.

Nadir was expecting an answer like that. "I only wish to know where you went. Why must it be a secret?"

Crossing his arms, Erik glared but still didn't turn around. "Nadir, I do not ask questions about your whereabouts, so I would appreciate it if you would refrain from interrogating me. Now, I am busy. Leave."

"Are you emailing Christine?"

Abruptly, Erik turned and looked Nadir in the eye. "How do you know her name?"

Nadir was always surprised by how easily Erik could forget some things.. or perhaps it was that he _chose _to forget them. "You told me her name on Saturday."

Erik frowned as the memory did resurface, but he decided to ignore it. He had had it with this intrusion on his life. "As I said before, what I do is not your concern. _Good night_," he said, enunciating the last two words so that Nadir would get the point.

He did get the point. _It looks as though I will never know where he went tonight. _"Good night," he whispered before turning and walking away.

Erik waited until he was sure Nadir had walked far away from the room before turning to face the computer once more. Really, he wasn't emailing Christine.. not just yet. Ever since he'd left the Macaroni Grill, all he could think about was their conversation.

Numerous thoughts and feelings were rolling through his mind and coursing through his veins. It seemed the grace and appeal he had previously displayed in front of her had vanished, for he felt like his old self again- insignificant and worthless. _What happened to me back there? How.. strange, for lack of a better word. I go about my daily life feeling and looking like a disgrace, but I did _that_? How? _

Not that it hadn't felt good... It had felt surreal. Erik had never experienced the joys of possessing good social skills, or so he had thought before this night. This night, a sort of powerful, suave, confident demeanor had taken full control over his body. And he had to admit that it had felt _amazing. _It felt amazing to know what he now knew. _Christine liked being with me. She really did. _She'd even said it.

He could visit the Macaroni Grill anytime he pleased now, as long as he knew her work schedule. He would ignore all other people and just focus on Christine. _How wonderful.. She will think I am Noah, and we will sit together. We will talk. We will be friends. _

All could not be well, though, not with Erik. 'Noah' was a fine alias to have for certain occasions, but when it came to Christine, there were two important names that he had to remember. 'Noah' could not take 'Erik's' place in her life. _But what if 'he' already has? What if 'Noah' has made Christine forget all about Erik? What if she only wishes to associate with one of us, and that is 'Noah'? _He shook his head and groaned. His thoughts were becoming too outlandish, even for him. _'Noah' and Erik are one and the same. We are not two separate entities. If Christine wishes to communicate with one of us, then she communicates with both of us._

He put his fingers on the keys to begin typing an email to Christine. He wanted to make this email a good one. It needed to live up to the excellence of 'Noah's' conversation with her, and he had an idea of how it could.

* * *

Christine entered her house smiling. She'd finished a day of working two restaurant shifts, but surprisingly, she wasn't exhausted. On the contrary, she had more energy now than she had that morning before her shifts, and it was all thanks to a certain masked man.

Brian was in the living room playing a video game and pressed 'Pause' when his sister walked into the room. "Hey, Chris. Did you survive your long d-" His eyes focused on her face and he stopped mid-sentence. "Why are you so happy?"

The smile left her face, but her eyes were still bright. "No reason, really. It was just a good day. Ok, well, I'm exhausted, so good night."

She spoke so quickly… She was noticeably hyper, so exhaustion was obviously the last thing she felt. But, it was also obvious that she wanted to be alone in her bedroom. Brian knew why. _That website.. _As always, he knew it wasn't good for her to be so addicted to a what he knew was a 'dating site'. He didn't want her to get into trouble. On top of that, he was pretty lonely, so he asked, "Hold up, do you want to beat me at Dr. Mario?"

Usually, she would be all for playing the video game, which was her favorite, but now wasn't the time. "Sorry Brian, maybe tomorrow. Well, good night." She gave him a slight wave and a grin before hurrying towards her bedroom. Christine locked herself inside and went directly to her computer. _Surely I'll have an email… _

She'd sent Erik an email the day before, so she hoped he would have read it and replied by now. Sitting and leaning forward, she typed in her account user name and password, pressed 'Enter', and waited for the page to load.

"Ha!" Christine exclaimed. There was an email.

**Dear Christine,**

**How are you? Are things going well with your family? How are your jobs? I worry that you are being overworked. To work two shifts in one day for consecutive days must be tiring. I hope you are getting good rest.**

**In your previous email, you spoke of your vocal techniques and abilities. Thank you for sharing them with me. I find it very impressive that you have a three octave range, especially considering your age. You are extremely talented. It sounds like your vocal warm-ups are very thorough.**

**Now, I feel I must switch topics. You have wanted me to send you a recording. Well, after giving it a lot of thought, I have finally decided to share one with you. I must admit that I am nervous. What I am sending you is not my best work. In fact, it is only partially finished without a title. It is of me playing piano. Feel free to make any comments you see fit. Remember, though, that what you hear is more of a rough draft than anything else.**

**I suppose this is all I can think to say for now. I hope you are having a good night.**

**-Erik**

Christine nearly fell out of her seat. He'd actually sent her a recording! It came as the biggest surprise she'd had all day, and that was saying a lot. Meeting Noah had been a big surprise, as well.

Hastily, she downloaded the attachment and waited. _I'll really be able to know if he's as talented as I think he is… _Remembering that her computer volume was on silent, she turned it up and continued to wait anxiously. Finally, when the download was complete, she took a deep breath and clicked 'Play'.

Christine was, at first, paralyzed when the music began. What was coming out of her computer speakers wasn't real… it couldn't be. But, it was. The sound was _real_. To put it simply, what she was hearing was the work of a true musical genius. Although she'd had a feeling Erik would be good, she still hadn't been prepared. Tears formed in her eyes and ran down her cheeks making it the second time Erik had made her cry, the first time being when he'd complimented her voice.

There weren't enough clear, definitive words to describe what she was hearing. The only two words floating through her mind were 'perfect' and 'genius'. It wasn't an extraordinarily difficult piece, but, at the same time, it would take a truly gifted musician to play it correctly.

As Erik had said in his email, the piece did sound unfinished. When it ended, Christine could only sit still and think. _Is this guy for real? It seems impossible… How in the world was I lucky enough to find him? _She'd never considered herself a 'lucky' person until now. Now, she was the luckiest person alive.

Shaking her head lightly in disbelief, she transferred the song from her computer to a CD and placed it on her bed so that she could listen to it to fall asleep. _I'll always cherish this song, _she thought while staring at the CD with soft eyes.

Christine turned and looked at the computer screen. _I don't care if I'm tired. I'm about to write the most important email ever. He has to know what I think. Sleep can wait._

* * *

The first thing that crossed Erik's mind when he received an email at 2:00 am was concern. _She should be sleeping… She has a busy day ahead of her. _He hadn't meant for his email to cause her to stay up all hours of the night typing a reply email to him. In fact, it was pure coincidence that he was near his computer at the exact moment the email was received. Really, he'd been about to turn off the machine and get some sleep.

Now, however, sleep was the last thing on his mind. Fear was taking the place of any other feeling. _Did she despise my work? Is she going to insult me? _Remembering that this was Christine he was referring to, his fear faded. She would never insult him, for she was too kind… Although, not knowing was still making him feel uneasy.

Finally, he opened the email.

**Dear Erik,**

**I am going to be upfront with you. You are the best pianist I have ever heard. The song you sent me is amazing. I've been sitting here speechless for a while now. Your music touched me in a way that nothing ever has. I can't even begin to express how beautifully you play. It's just hard to believe how good you are. I really, truly believe you could make money selling your music. I feel like my compliments are not enough, though. You are a musical genius, plain and simple. Please, do not hesitate to send me more recordings. I completely understand if you do not want to, but know that I would love to hear more.**

**Well, moving on from that, everything else seems insignificant. I am doing well. Working two jobs in one day isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now, just six more days of it. I am getting rest, although I suppose I won't be getting enough tonight. It doesn't matter to me, though. I really wanted to reply to your email and let you know that I loved your recording.**

**I guess I do need some sleep, so let me just say thank you. Thank you so much for letting me hear you. I'll repeat myself one more time: I loved your recording. You are the best pianist I have ever heard.**

**Well, I hope my compliments are not too overwhelming, although I still don't think I have complimented you enough. **

**Have a great night,**

**Christine **

Well, Erik most certainly hadn't expected to read that. By the end of her email, his heart was pounding and his eyes were wide. _She liked it, she really liked it… _He was elated. _She wants to hear more! _A big grin came to his lips. Oh, the music he could share with her! Or, better yet, him playing while she sang! Erik sighed. It would be wonderful.

But, he couldn't get carried away. It was impossible, after all. She could never knowingly see him, so playing and singing together were out of the question. Plus, he was Noah Wellington. To share more music with her would risk revealing his other identity, which couldn't happen.

Sinking further into his computer chair, Erik sighed and allowed his thoughts to return to the one thing they had previously been stuck on, before reading Christine's email- _When will I see her again? _The fact that it was his choice, that he could choose when to return to the Macaroni Grill, was driving him crazy.

_Would it be entirely too soon if I were to return tomorrow-_ He looked at the bottom right-hand corner of his monitor screen where the time was located. _I mean, tonight? _He wanted to badly… He could not just think of himself, though. _What would Christine want? _True, she'd been the one to initiate his seeing her again, but would she want it to be the very next night?

_No. _

Thirty minutes passed while Erik thought it through. Finally, it was decided. Yes, he would return this week, but no, he wouldn't return this night.

* * *

Each new day was beginning to feel like the previous, in Christine's opinion. It was Thursday night at the Macaroni Grill, and she was on her way to the kitchen to grab table seven's order. It wasn't a busy night, which was both relieving and boring.

At any rate, she was able to think about the past three days in peace. So, she'd seen Noah on Monday, which was still having the power to make her giddy. She'd received an email from Erik on Monday night when he'd sent her the recording, and she'd received another from him on Tuesday night. The gist of it was that he'd have to think more about sending another recording. And that was it. She'd sent him an email on Wednesday morning before work, and she hadn't received another reply from him.

All in all, it was turning out to be a boring end to a surprisingly good week.

9:00 pm came and Christine was down to one table. The one table only held two people, and they were both kind. It was an easy serve. "Have a good night," Christine said with a smile to the couple. They returned the words, and she began to walk back towards the kitchen where none other than Tim was waiting with a grin on his good-looking face.

"Christine, you're really getting the hang of this," he complimented.

It seemed that he had been watching her, which was a little embarrassing. "Thanks, Tim."

Being the kind of guy to jump right into things, Tim decided to go for his next question. "So, I was thinking.. What are you doing tomorrow ni-" All of a sudden, his eyes focused on the restaurant's entrance, which was behind Christine.

"What are you looking-" Words left her as she turned and saw exactly what Tim was looking at. _Noah.. _Noah was standing at the hostess station looking incredibly uncomfortable. Her eyes lit up.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Tim asked rudely, but there was a bit of fear in his tone.

Christine didn't even hear him. Her full attention was on the man who was currently glaring at two hostesses. They probably deserved his glare. Then, suddenly, his eyes found hers and the glare immediately dissolved. The two only stared at each other for a long moment before the hostesses and Tim interrupted. The hostesses were obviously trying to seat Noah, and Tim… Well, Christine wasn't listening to a word he was saying. Realizing this, she turned to face her co-worker and knew exactly what she had to do. "Would it be ok if I take a break now?"

Tim seemed a little lost for words as he comprehended what she was getting at. "Y-you want to sit with him again?"

"Yeah," she firmly replied.

"I-I don't get it… What's so special about him?"

Christine could sense his distaste and jealousy, and it made her a little angry. But, at the same time, she didn't really know the answer to his question. "I don't really know," she murmured. Then, louder, she asked, "So, do you think I can take a break?" Tim had been working at the Macaroni Grill much longer than she had, so he was the authority figure who could tell her 'yes' or 'no'.

"Yeah, I guess so…" He still seemed a bit surprised by it all.

"Thanks, Tim!" With that, she turned and searched for Noah's table. It was the exact table he'd sat at both times before. The hostesses wanted him as out of sight as possible, Christine knew. She began to walk quickly towards him but thought better of it and slowed down while blushing. _Control yourself! _

Approaching the table, a shy smile made its way to her lips. "Hi," she greeted softly.

He looked up at her with the same intensity she remembered from before. "Hello," he returned just as softly. After a rather awkward pause, he began to say something, but Christine chose the exact same moment to speak. "How are you?"

"Would you like something to drink?" Christine sucked in a breath and let out, "Oops," at her mistake.

Noah chuckled and smoothly said, "After you."

She unwillingly blushed. "Um, would you like something to drink?"

He thought about it briefly before smiling. "A glass of water, perhaps."

Christine felt much more confident when it came to being a waitress. "Of course. I'll be right back." While walking away to get his drink, she reminded herself that she had to confront him about the money he'd given her. To give a 150 dollar tip just wasn't normal. _I have to know why. _

Carrying the glass to his table, she noticed him watching her and prayed she wouldn't become clumsy and spill it. To her luck, she didn't.

"Thank you, Christine," he said when she placed the glass of water in front of him.

"You're welcome." She stood still for a bit longer than intended before hesitantly asking, "Is it ok if I sit with you?" The way she asked the question made her wish to hit her forehead. _I sound like a freaking five-year-old._

"It's more than ok. Please do," he replied without hesitation.

Christine pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. Then, she shifted a little and moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

He spoke first. "I'm afraid I didn't get a chance to ask my question before. How are you?"

She let out a shy laugh remembering the way they'd spoken at the same time. "I'm good. How are you?"

"I can't complain." Noah looked into her eyes and smiled when she blushed. "It's such a pleasant surprise that you're working tonight. I must say that I had hoped you would be, but I wasn't sure."

"I'm working every night this week and five nights next week," Christine explained. "Actually," she continued, "I'm working two jobs right now. Afternoon shifts at Ruby Tuesday and night shifts here." She could tell that her words had alarmed him.

"That sounds strenuous. You must be exhausted."

"Not really." Christine didn't want to sound like she was asking for pity. "I'm in the process of quitting my job at Ruby Tuesday. That will make things easier."

He nodded. "Yes, that does sound better." They sat in silence while Christine thought about how unique he was, so.. captivating. "Have you sung tonight?" he asked changing topics.

She grinned. "Yeah, once." The entire restaurant had clapped for her.

"I'm sorry I missed it. I'm sure you stunned everyone."

She couldn't help but blush at that, and it deepened as she felt him watching her. They sat in silence for a few seconds, but Christine didn't mind. Of course there would be some silence. It was only natural, since they didn't know each other well.

"The last thing I want is for you to think that our talks are becoming dull." He spoke the words using a low, serious tone.

Christine hadn't expected to hear that. "Oh, they're not," she reassured him. "Sitting with you and talking to you is the best part of my day."

"Well then, let's make sure to keep it interesting," he said with an indulging smile. "I'm sure you must not have much time to do anything besides work, but if I may, what do you do in your spare time?"

She was beginning to relax little by little. Noah didn't want her to feel uptight, she knew, and he was doing a superb job of making it so that she wasn't. "Well, I hang out with my brother a lot. We like to play video games and shop for books and CD's, stuff like that. Of course, I like to sing in my spare time, too." _And email Erik… _But, she wouldn't tell him that. She didn't want to reveal too much of her personal life. He was still a stranger, after all.

"I see," Noah said thoughtfully. "I suppose you are rarely bored."

Christine laughed. "I guess there are times when I could be bored, but I don't usually let it happen. When I'm bored, I turn to music." _And Erik.._

"A very good thing to turn to," he agreed. "I myself am very fond of music."

"Really?" she asked eagerly, her attention fixated on the man in front of her. "Do you sing or play an instrument?"

For the first time that night, he seemed to hesitate, and Christine wasn't sure why that was. "Both, actually. I'm a tenor and I play the piano."

For some reason, she felt like there was more to what he was saying, like he was keeping something from her. It was stupid to think that, though. _I don't even know him, so how am I supposed to be able to read into what he says? _

"I see your co-workers are watching us again."

"Huh?" Christine asked at the abrupt change of subject. She turned to see that Tim and three others were outright staring. They weren't even trying to conceal it. Then, she saw Tim point to the watch on his wrist, meaning that her break was over. "Darn," she muttered without thinking.

"Yes, it seems you must get back to work. This has been enjoyable, just as our last talk was."

Christine reluctantly stood and looked down. "I don't really want to get back to work," she said honestly. Then, she looked up to see that he was standing. Looking into his eyes, she admitted, "I really like talking to you."

"That means more to me than you know," he whispered, almost inaudibly. "We shall talk again, then." Seeming to notice her sorrow, he softly said, "If it pleases you, then I will return."

She nodded in a child-like way, to which his lips curled upward. Christine sensed that their visit was coming to an end. "Wait," she remembered and looked into his patient blue eyes. "Um, well, you gave me.. well, you gave me _a lot _of money on Monday night. I just-.. I'm wondering why?"

His gaze was warm and caring. "If you must know, Christine, I hadn't been so happy in a very long time. Thanks to you, I felt worthy of being where I was. It was a minor way of showing my thanks."

_Minor? _It most definitely wasn't 'minor'. But, should she really try to give it back when it seemed like he wanted her to keep it?

Noah seemed to understand, and before she could speak, he said, "You are a good person. How about this? I will consider tonight's tip to be included in what I gave you. Does that sound fair?" he asked.

"But-" she began to protest.

"Please, Christine," he cut in. "You can put the money to much better use than I can."

Christine could see that her attempts to give it back were in vain. "Alright, then," she surrendered. "But, just know that I will be thanking you many, many times. Thank you."

Noah laughed, and Christine found that she liked the sound of it. "I suppose I will allow that," he joked. "Well, this has been nice, but I must let you get back to work now."

"Ok," she grumbled with a sigh. Then, she grinned and said again, "Thank you."

He laughed again and sincerely said, "You're welcome. I will return soon."

"And I'll probably be here when you come back." Christine found that it was excruciatingly hard to say goodbye to the man. She simply didn't want to.

"Goodbye, Christine."

"Bye," she said softly and he walked away. She stared after him before returning to reality and slowly walking back to where Tim and three other co-workers were standing. _That was nice. _

But suddenly, just before she got back into 'work mode', she thought of something. _The fact that he gave me so much money must mean something… _Without a second thought, she hurried to the front door to see what kind of car he was driving, though she didn't really know why it mattered so much.

Her eyes darted across the parking lot until she saw a car backing out of a parking space. It was located in the back corner of the lot, and as it came closer, Christine's mouth gaped open. _A black Rolls Royce Phantom. That… He.. _A memory of seeing the exact same car before -back when she was running in pajamas and barefoot across the city- returned to her mind, and she shook her head. _No way.. He's rich! _

The fact that a man with that much money was saying that _she _had made him happier than he'd been in a very long time seemed preposterous. _He could probably buy his happiness, yet he says that I'm the cause of it? _

An affectionate smile came to her lips as she thought about it and about him. _Noah..._


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

About a month passed in the same way. Christine's life revolved around working at the Macaroni Grill, emailing Erik, and talking to Noah. She was busy but content… well, almost content, that is. Really, the more she emailed Erik, the more she wished to meet him. And the more she talked to Noah during work breaks, the more she wished to talk to him outside of work. But how was she to confront Erik and Noah with her wishes?

It was impossible.

"Yo, Chris, what's up?" Brian asked upon entering the open doorway of her bedroom.

Christine was sitting at her computer typing an email to Erik. While deleting the last sentence she had typed, she replied, "Nothing really. Just wasting time before work, I guess."

He wasn't blind. He could see that what she was doing wasn't a 'waste of time'. She was emailing that guy… the one Brian didn't approve of. But who was he to boss her around? Not today, at least. "How is work going? We haven't gotten to talk about it much, even though I _am _a huge reason you even got the job." He smirked playfully.

She laughed and shrugged. "It's ok, better than Ruby Tuesday."

"Have you made any friends? I know some of my good friends are people I know from work."

Thoughts of Noah entered her mind and a small smile reached her lips.

Brian definitely noticed it. "I'll take that as a yes, then. That's good. So when do you work today?"

Christine was glad he couldn't see past her smile. If he were to notice that there was more to it, he might not be altogether approving, especially since her 'friend' was a man she only knew through talks during breaks. "Five." Her eyes traveled to the bottom right-hand corner of her monitor where the time was located. "Oh, I'd better start getting ready."

"Ok, I'll see you later, then." He left the room closing the door on his way out.

"I'll finish this later," Christine murmured before saving the email she had been composing and standing in order to get dressed. One hope was high in her mind. _I wonder if Noah will come tonight.._

* * *

Life, which Erik had once thought was so meaningless, was as of late anything but. Dealing with Christine on a regular basis had become such a joy. He'd never felt so… happy, an emotion he wasn't used to feeling. Emails by day, meetings by night. She was just such a prominent part of his life.

And tonight he would meet her again. It had been ongoing for a month- seeing her, that is. He would make sure to see her a couple of nights a week, making sure to keep his personality in check. The way he acted around her was still surprising, but he'd come to accept it. She brought out the better person in him.

It was going on 9:00 pm and Erik was ready to go. Without saying anything to Nadir, he left the mansion.

The same process as usual took place when he arrived at the Macaroni Grill. The rude, pathetic waitresses seated him in the corner and he waited for Christine to take her break. A few minutes later, she walked towards his table with a smile on her precious face. That smile was something Erik had come to treasure.

"Hi," she said when she reached the table.

"Hello," Noah greeted, getting into character.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

He chuckled at her consideration. "No, not tonight. Your company would be nice, though."

Christine sat down across from him. "Well, I'm on my fifteen minute break, so…" She didn't finish the sentence and smiled.

Noah smiled back. "I'm glad. How has tonight been?"

"Oh, it's been ok. I sang twice."

He sighed. "I always seem to miss your performances, don't I? Such a shame.."

"Well, you've already heard me sing the song, so you're not missing much," Christine reassured.

"On the contrary, I believe I'm missing out on a great deal."

She blushed at that, to which Noah's lips curled upward. "So," he began, changing topics. "I haven't seen you in a few days. How are you? How is your family?" During the month that had passed since he'd first met her, they'd become closer in a few ways, one of those ways being that she'd told him about her family.

"My family's fine. My mom and her fiancé are planning their wedding, and my brother's been working a lot. I'm doing well, pretty much just working and sleeping." She laughed.

Noah knew for a fact that wasn't all she'd been doing. Christine had also been emailing Erik… _Or, well, me. _But, even after a month, she still had yet to mention her emails. He was actually incredibly proud of her for not bringing them up. Perhaps the emails were as personal and special to her as they were to him.

"Noah," she announced, obviously about to say something important.

"Yes?" he asked casually. Really, though, he was wondering if she was about to actually mention 'Erik' for the first time. If so, then he needed to be prepared to act as though he knew nothing about it.

"Well, um.." She hesitated, and Noah could see that she was thinking something through. "I was thinking… As you know, I really like our talks. They're the highlight of my day. So, I've been thinking maybe we could meet somewhere besides here while I'm not working."

She spoke the words quickly and was watching him hopefully when she finished. He didn't speak. What she said was completely unexpected. The first thing he felt was nervous, incredibly nervous. He was bound to mess up if he were to see her outside her place of work. What if he revealed his true identity? That couldn't happen! It absolutely _couldn't _happen! How could he tell her no, though? _I know.. _"Although it is an entirely appealing offer, I'm afraid I will have to say no. But please, do not feel offended. It's just, I'm afraid I wouldn't feel comfortable in another environment. In fact, you are the only reason I feel comfortable here."

"This is about other people, isn't it?" she blurted out. She was angry, but the anger wasn't directed towards him. "Stupid people and their judgments. I understand you.. I just don't understand _them_."

Noah's eyes softened at her words. He absolutely adored her, and there was no doubt in his mind about that. "You are a very good person, Christine. I'm unworthy of your company."

"Please don't say that," she begged.

"Christine," came a voice from beside them. Noah continued to look at Christine who was now looking up at her boss. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but there's a customer celebrating her birthday. Table nine. Since Tim isn't here to sing, I'm afraid it's all up to you."

"Oh!" Christine said surprised. "Right. Ok. Um, well.." She looked at Noah with sad eyes.

John walked away and Noah said, "I'm in luck. I will be able to hear you tonight."

"True," she said while nodding in a sad way. "Well, I guess I have to go."

"Yes, well, I wish to hear you sing, so I will continue sitting here if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. I just hope I do ok." She stood.

"You will, there's no doubt of it." Noah smiled confidently but shook his head at the unsure look on her face. "Confidence, Christine."

"Right," she said at his instruction. Then, she waved and said, "See you later," before walking away.

Erik sighed when she was far enough away. It was just so confusing… The fact that she wished to see him outside of work was plaguing his mind. He didn't expect her to care for him in such a way. But.. what if she didn't really care for him? What if she only cared for… While searching for words, Erik finally decided, _My money. What if she only cares for my money? _He remembered the first tip he'd given her. _150 dollars.. It was a significant amount of money, I suppose. _He also remembered a very peculiar conversation about the vehicle he drove, the one she just so happened to come across one night after he'd visited her at work.

But the more he thought about it, the more it didn't really _seem _like her. Christine wasn't materialistic, and by now he knew her well enough to know that. So why-?..

Something caught his attention.

_What? _It was none other than Nadir Kahn walking Erik's way, and all Erik could do was sit there and stare like an idiot.

Nadir reached Erik's table and sat across from him in the very chair Christine had previously been seated in. "Good evening, Erik."

The man was acting as though this was nothing out of the ordinary… For god's sake, he was looking at him as if they were merely seated in the mansion reminiscing over a cup of tea… _No.. No, no, no! _"What are you doing here?" Erik whispered harshly.

The fierce insecurity in his friend's tone was unmistakable. Nadir frowned and whispered back, "I have wished to know where you have been going for the past month. I finally know. Why the secret, Erik?"

It was one thing for Nadir to be where he was, but it was something else entirely for him to actually say his name! "Do _not _address me as such!" He was still whispering. His eyes flickered towards Christine before finding Nadir's again. "Answer me now. _What are you doing here?_" His tone was icy… Icy and deadly.

"Erik- Or, I mean.. Well, what do you wish for me to call you?"

"Nothing! Refrain from using any name."

"Alright then.. Well, I must admit something. It's better that I tell you the truth now instead of continuing to keep things from you, as you do with me." He frowned in an disapproving way. "I know you have been here due to the receipts by your computer. Why you insist on keeping them is beyond me, but they were situated so indiscreetly beside your monitor that there was no way I couldn't notice them."

Erik was becoming more infuriated by the second. "You are spying on me?"

He watched as Nadir shook his head. "No, no, I would never spy on you. I was merely checking to see where you were. I could not help it that there were a number of receipts giving me the exact answer I was looking for."

"I should kill you-" Before he could say more, Erik heard a sound unlike any other. It was Christine, and she was singing the 'Happy Birthday' song in Italian. A silence filled the entire restaurant as she sang. Erik even noticed that Nadir's head turned in her direction.

"Who-"

"Silence," Erik interrupted. Her voice was exactly what he needed to hear at that moment, and he'd be damned if Nadir was going to ruin it for him. When she finished, he could only sit in silence while everyone else clapped in appreciation.

"That's Christine, isn't it?" Nadir asked, although he didn't ask it as a question. He already knew the answer.

Instantly, Erik stood. "I will never forgive you." Then, he left the building quickly, not even giving Christine a 'good-bye' glance.

* * *

Christine sang using every ounce of knowledge she possessed. She needed to please Noah above all else. He was all that mattered, and it made her incredibly nervous to think that way. It was true, though. Somehow, in a matter of a month, Noah had come to mean a great deal to her. She didn't want it to end, so she sang boldly, yet gracefully.

When she finished, she could hear applause, but nothing really mattered besides-..

Her eyes reached Noah's table, but it wasn't Noah that she saw. Instead, it was another man, someone with dark skin wearing a suit. _That's Noah's table.. So who is that? _Their eyes met for an awkward moment before Christine glanced away. _Where did he go? _

"Thank you so much!" the birthday girl exclaimed.

Christine smiled. "You're welcome."

"You have such a good voice!" another girl shouted.

At that moment, Christine hardly cared about their compliments. Her eyes flew to Noah's table again, but strangely, no one was there, not Noah or the dark-skinned man. _How weird.._

* * *

Nadir knew what he had done was right. He wasn't about to regret it. Finding Erik hadn't been wrong, although the masked man had certainly made it sound as such. Really, though, Nadir had done him a favor. Erik couldn't very well continue to go around stalking the girl. The girl, Christine, clearly didn't know who Erik was. She was a waitress and a singer, and Erik was obviously a silent bystander.

It was going to be his job to help Erik. By the time Nadir was finished, Erik was going to feel confident enough to talk to Christine. Yes, that was Nadir's new goal.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_Damn him! Curse him! _Erik thought while practically running towards his music room. He'd just returned to the mansion after having had the worst night yet at the Macaroni Grill. When he reached the intended room, he proceeded to slam his body onto his piano bench and bang out terrifying chords on the keys producing sounds that almost seemed violent. _I should murder him for his stupidity! How dare he intrude! _

Erik hadn't been able to speak to Christine before he left… because of Nadir. And it was because of Nadir that she would probably never speak to him again. _No! He has ruined everything! _Continuing to pound away at the piano, he failed to notice Nadir enter the music room until he heard his name being called.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, Erik stopped playing and picked up the nearest vase, which was situated to the left of the music stand on the piano. He stood in a flash, turned towards Nadir, and threw it, narrowly missing him. It shattered against the wall. "You're lucky I missed," he growled.

Nadir's eyes were wide with surprise. "Yes, I'm very lucky you intentionally missed."

"Who said anything about 'intentionally' missing, Kahn?" Although, it _had _been intentional. Had anyone other than Nadir been standing there, he wouldn't have missed, that was for sure. "Dare I try again?" he threatened viciously. Erik's eyes flew towards the nearest breakable object. Perhaps Nadir would be _un_lucky this time…

He'd had enough of this. "Erik, _stop_."

Surprisingly, Erik obeyed. It was because of Nadir's tone that he stopped. "Your tone suggests that you are angry, though I do not know why. If anyone should be angry, it should be me! And I most definitely _am _angry-"

"Of course I am angry," Nadir interrupted. "You have begun to stalk a girl you barely know, and you obviously feel no remorse for it."

"What?" he asked, not expecting to hear that. _A 'stalker'? _Before giving him time to reply, Erik continued, "You have no idea what is going on, Kahn, so do not assume to know!" His eyes returned to the breakable object. Throwing it at him was becoming more and more of an appealing option.

"Well then, prove me wrong. Prove to me that you aren't stalking the girl."

Erik glared at him. "I do not have to prove anything to you. And yet," he continued after a pause. The breakable object left his mind. "I do feel it would be wise for you to know. I wouldn't want you to make another stupid mistake."

Nadir glared right back at him. He had raised Erik since he was a baby, so he wasn't afraid of him.

They spent the next several seconds glaring at one another before Erik finally stepped down. "Follow me," he instructed reluctantly.

While following him, Nadir thought things through. _Erik seems to be thinking more rationally, although I have no idea what is going on. Perhaps, though, he will listen to me when I teach him how to talk to the girl. He does not always have to hide from the world, after all. Yes, he has many faults, but so does the rest of the world. He deserves to live a normal life._

They reached Erik's computer room, strangely enough, and Erik walked inside. He sat on his computer chair and turned in his seat to see a puzzled Nadir standing in the doorway. "Well, don't just stand there," he snapped. "Come in."

Nadir walked inside and noticed the Macaroni Grill receipts sitting beside the computer where he had found them earlier.

Erik noticed where he was looking. "Hear me when I say this. You shall never enter this room again without my knowledge. Is that understood?"

He was being treated like a child. How typical.. Nadir was twice as old as Erik, yet he usually tried to reverse that fact. "Yes Erik, alright," he replied calmly.

Letting out a shaky breath, Erik hesitantly 'woke' his computer up from hibernating. What he was about to show Nadir was very personal and private to him. Really, he could hardly believe what he was about to do. But, he didn't want the man thinking he was some sort of stalker, because he wasn't. For once, he wanted to show someone that he was doing the right thing. Using a low, serious tone, Erik said, "What I am about to show you is a small portion of an email Christine sent me a few weeks ago."

Nadir's brow furrowed in confusion, but he watched as Erik expertly signed onto the website called 'Pen-a-Pal'. Then, he watched as he quickly made several moves with his mouse before locating the appropriate email. _Erik is about to show me something so private? _It was shocking and highly unusual.

Erik highlighted a portion of the text and copied and pasted it onto a Microsoft Word document. At least that way Nadir wouldn't be able to read the whole email. "Read it," he commanded.

Stepping forward, Nadir knelt so that he was closer to the screen and read the small paragraph.

**Ok, I'm about to tell you something that I haven't told anybody else. I just can't keep it to myself any longer. I've made a friend at work. He's not a co-worker of mine, but he's a customer. Isn't that weird, making friends with a customer? Oh well, I'm really happy, so that should be all that matters. His name is Noah. I could tell you more about him, but I don't want to bore you.**

And that was all. _So Erik has spoken to the girl. _Knowing that was enough to make Nadir grin proudly. He read it a second time but stopped when one word caught his eye. 'Noah'. "She knows you as Noah?"

Erik crossed his arms defensively. "Yes. Do you find there to be a problem with that?"

Nadir thought about it before shaking his head. "No. No, on the contrary, I think it is brilliant. You communicate with her two ways using two names. Hmm.. I imagine it becomes quite confusing."

"Why do you say that?"

Well, the confusion obviously hadn't come into play. It was no wonder, though, since Erik was a genius. "I just know I would get confused sharing two different identities. Perhaps it will not always have to be this way, though." Nadir's eyes lit up. "What if you could know Christine only as Erik? What if she could know 'Noah' and 'Erik' as the same person?"

Erik would hear none of that. "No," he said firmly. "There is no way. _This _is the only way. Now leave me. I wish to be alone."

Nadir did as he was told without another word. His idea sounded good to him. If only Erik could see reason. He didn't always have to be so secretive. _Christine would accept Erik as Erik, wouldn't she? _Erik certainly seemed to think highly of her, so Nadir would, too. _Of course she would._

* * *

"Christine, we have to be at the church soon. Aren't you ready yet?" Brian asked from outside her closed bedroom door.

It was Saturday morning, and it was true- they were running late. Christine was actually in the process of finishing an email to Erik, but she wouldn't tell her brother that. "Yeah, I'm coming. Give me a second." She read over the email one last time.

**Dear Erik,**

**The wedding is today. Let me just say that I don't like the dress I'm wearing. To be honest, it makes me look fat. But enough complaining from me. I'm lucky to even be the Maid of Honor for this thing. I haven't been as involved as I should be. I blame it on work, though. Working every day is time consuming. I can't help it that it interferes with my personal life. Ok, I really am going to stop complaining now. I'm excited for my mom. I really am. She deserves to be happy.**

**How are you doing? Last time we 'talked', you explained that you were in the process of playing and recording a piece of music so that you could send it to me. I'm so excited about it. I already cherish the three other songs you've sent me. The music is just so beautiful. You are a genius, as I've told you before.**

**Work is going well. The best times are when my friend, Noah, comes to visit. Of course, I like singing too, but I like seeing and talking to him even more. Are you sure you don't mind hearing about him? I just don't want to bore you. I do have to say this: He's a great friend, but you're a greater friend. I hope you know that. **

**Well, I have to leave now. I'll tell you about the wedding in my next email. It's not going to be that big of a deal. Mom and Jeremy didn't want it to be big, so there won't be many people.**

**I can't wait to receive a reply from you. I hope you have a great day.**

**Christine **

She pressed the 'Send Now' link and then turned off her computer. Standing, she smoothed out the dreaded dress she was wearing before grabbing her purse and hurrying out the door. "I'm ready. Let's go."

"What took you so long?" Brian asked feeling a little agitated.

"Nothing, I was just fixing my hair. You look really nice," Christine complimented, changing subjects.

"Thanks, so do you."

She laughed. "Thanks for lying. I really hate this dress."

Brian frowned. "Stop complaining. Mom spent a lot of time finding that dress."

"Oh.. Yeah, you're right. Sorry." They left the house and headed towards the church.

* * *

Erik read over Christine's email and then let out a sigh of relief feeling that a large weight had been lifted off his shoulders. One thing in the email caught his attention. It sounded like she wasn't mad at 'Noah'. Erik had thought she would be angry with him for leaving the Macaroni Grill the night before without complimenting her voice or saying goodbye. _This is most relieving. _He'd already planned to visit the Macaroni Grill that night to apologize, so now that he knew she wasn't mad, it would be easier.

And she wished to hear him play. Well, he was ready to send what he had recorded. He was pleased with the outcome and hoped she would enjoy it just as much as she enjoyed the other recordings.

Clicking the 'Reply' link, Erik began typing his reply message.

**Dear Christine,**

**The wedding is probably over by now. I do hope it went well. It's true, you cannot help that you were not able to be as involved with the wedding as you had hoped. I don't want you to worry about it, though. I am sure your mother understands. I am sorry you didn't like the dress you wore, but it probably looked lovely on you. I must admit that I am interested to hear how it went, so I look forward to your reply.**

**I am well. Most of my time has been spent trying to perfect the piece of music I have attached to this email. I am anxious to know your thoughts, so do not hesitate to tell me the truth. **

**Believe me, I am interested in hearing about your friend. I am always interested in what you have to say. You could merely discuss the weather, and I would still read your words eagerly. You have mentioned before that he has a love for music, just like the two of us. Feel free to tell me more about that.**

**Well, I am nervous as to your thoughts about my playing.**

**Until next time,**

**Erik**

The email was not his best work, and he didn't know why that was. Well, perhaps he did know. There were just too many things to be worried about. Erik wasn't used to worrying. All his life, he had gone without caring. Everything was different now, though. And yet, he wouldn't trade it for the world. Christine could tell him about Noah. She could tell him about his music. Erik was truly curious to know all of her thoughts, so he would endure his nerves.

Clicking the 'Send Now' link, he leaned back in his computer chair while thinking. _Tonight I will return to the Macaroni Grill. Perhaps I should compose the apology I am going to give her. Yes, I believe I will do just that._

What Erik didn't know was that Christine would be most curious to know who the dark skinned man was that she had seen the previous night. He had unintentionally overlooked the fact that she had seen him and would indeed want to know who he was. Perhaps all of these secrets really were about to become confusing, just as Nadir had said.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 **

Christine was incredibly busy. The Macaroni Grill was packed. Of course, it shouldn't have come as too big of a surprise. After all, it was a Saturday night. Weekends were always busier than weekdays.

While quickly walking towards the back to get table seven's drink order, she thought about how busy her day had been thus far.

The wedding had been beautiful. Her mother made sure everything would be perfect, and the result was just that. The dress her mother had worn was gorgeous, which made Christine rethink her own dress. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as she had initially thought.

Jeremy was a perfect gentleman throughout the entire event treating her mother like a queen. It made Christine like him all the more. They'd left for their two-week honeymoon after the reception. They were going to a beach in Florida.

So, after everything that had happened between Christine, Brian, their mother, and Jeremy, things had really turned out well. Christine could foresee them being a happy family, and for that she was thankful.

"Hey Christine," Tim said, interrupting her thoughts. He stood next to her while she prepared four drinks. "Busy night, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied, focusing mainly on the drinks so that she wouldn't spill them.

"Look, I know you said you couldn't hang out last week.. So I was thinking we could hang out tomorrow. There's a horror flick out that's supposed to be good. Maybe we could see it together."

Out of all that he'd just said, there hadn't been one question. It was as if he wasn't even _asking _if she'd go out with him. It was like he was _telling _her to. Why couldn't he get it through his head that she wasn't interested? "Sorry Tim, but I'm working tomorrow." She didn't want to sound mean, so at least her excuse wasn't a lie.

"Geeze, John has you working a lot, doesn't he?"

"Well, I need the hours. It's not so bad." The drinks were ready, thank goodness. "I'd better get back to work."

Tim watched her walk away while thinking about how beautiful she was. "Maybe another time, then," he said with a confident smile. He wouldn't give up.

Christine sighed once she was far enough away. _Why does he want to date me so bad? He doesn't even know me... _Inwardly shrugging, she gave the family at table seven their drinks and took their food order.

While walking towards the back to give the order to the kitchen workers, she looked around the restaurant. _It's about time, _she thought. Things were beginning to die down. Tables were emptying, people were leaving. Her lips curled upward in satisfaction.

* * *

It was going on 9:00 pm. The restaurant was practically empty. Christine was ready to take her break. Every night at about this time, her eyes would stray to a certain familiar table in the corner.. She always wished Noah would be there. Tonight, though, she rather doubted he would be. He'd just come the previous night. It was too soon for him to return.

But there he sat. When their eyes met, he flashed a broad smile.

Christine's features brightened at the sight. _He's here, he's really here! _All previous thoughts of being worn out left her mind.

Her feet immediately led her to his table. "Back so soon?" she joked cheerfully.

"Hello again," he greeted with a small smile.

She had to remember to be a good, considerate waitress. It was her job, after all. "Would you like to order anything tonight?" He'd been ordering wine almost every time he visited lately.

"No, no, that's quite alright." Noah looked into her eyes then with a sort of desperate expression.

Christine blinked. _I've never seen that look before. Something must be up. _"Hold on, let me go tell Tim I'm taking a break." She walked away, found Tim, told him, and hurriedly returned to Noah's table.

"My, that was fast." He grinned while watching her sit down across from him.

She laughed. "Yeah, you have no idea how badly I need this break. Tonight has been really busy."

Noah nodded in understanding. "You must be exhausted."

"Well, I was, but not anymore," she reassured. "You always prevent that from happening." Their eyes met, and Noah's gaze seemed to hold such an intensity that Christine blushed.

Recovering and remembering his desperate look from earlier, she asked, "So, how are you?"

Noah looked down ashamedly. "I want to apologize for my behavior last night. I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly."

Christine waved her hand in a dismissive way. "No, don't worry about it. Really, it's fine."

Her comforting tone made him feel immediate relief. "Thank you for understanding. I remembered something I needed to do and had to leave quickly."

"I completely understand." Christine hoped her words were reassuring enough. She couldn't bare to see him look so ashamed.

"You sang beautifully, though. I didn't get a chance to tell you last night."

_He's so polite. _Christine loved that about him. "Thank you." That was when she remembered something. "I do have a question, though."

"What might that be?" he asked patiently, his eyes fixated on her.

"Well, after I sang, I couldn't help but notice that there was another man sitting at your table. By that point you had left, but I'm assuming you know him?" She knew for a fact that the hostesses couldn't have seated a new person that quickly. The man had to have intended to sit with Noah.

Noah's eyes widened. She'd seen... That meant... What did she know? Had they spoken? Nadir hadn't revealed anything that happened after he'd left. What if-

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." His silent reaction was confusing her. All she wanted to know was if he knew the guy.. Actually, she'd never seen Noah look so flustered.

"Did you speak to him?" Noah asked anxiously. A paranoid Erik was taking the place of the usually cool, calm, collected 'Noah'.

Christine shook her head, her brow furrowing in confusion. "No, I only saw him from a distance."

Was she telling the truth? Was she toying with him? Did she know his secret? Erik was so far out of character by then that he knew there was no way he would be able to find 'Noah' again. "I-I have to leave." Without another word, he fled from the restaurant.

"But-.." Christine watched in shock as Noah left. It was like he'd become a different person or something. _What the heck just happened? _What she'd said had, for some reason, changed him completely. _Ok, really, what's up?_

* * *

Erik was perspiring and shaking as he pulled into the driveway of his mansion. He was Erik again, yes. And that was probably the last time he would ever be 'Noah'. He'd seen to that... Christine was probably questioning his true identity right at that moment. And he, Erik, had fooled her. He'd fooled her time and time again. He'd made her believe he was something he most certainly wasn't- a gentleman. 'Noah' might have been such, but Erik was far from it.

Being that he wasn't a gentleman, he had no trouble being what he was- a monster. And that monster was going to come out in the most violent of ways. He could hardly wait to see Nadir...

* * *

Nadir finished preparing his 10:00 pm snack and carried his bag of popcorn and bottle of Sprite to an armchair in the den. There, he turned on the TV and watched the Weather Channel with interest. It looked like a storm was headed towards Richmond, Virginia. It looked like it was going to be quite large, too.

At that moment, Erik entered the room. Metaphorically speaking, it looked like the storm had arrived. Nadir was confused by his fierce demeanor. He thought they had solved things the night before... Apparently not. "Hello, Erik."

Erik stood motionless but with venom radiating off his tall frame.

After a rather long silence, Nadir asked, "Is everything alright? You just got back from the Macaroni Grill, I assume?" Erik's hands formed fists at his sides, and he was fast to notice the change. "Erik?" Something bad was about to happen, so Nadir stood to prepare himself.

Seconds passed while Erik stood thinking about attacking Nadir... But this was Nadir, the man who had raised him. He'd always looked out for him. Never would he intentionally hurt Erik...

Erik shook his head, trying to escape the 'good' thoughts. He was also the man who had destroyed 'Noah'! That could not be forgotten.

Yet, he was also the only person who had ever said the words, _I love you, Erik. _"Damn," Erik whispered. He couldn't hurt this man. He could never hurt Nadir. Without conversing at all, he left the room and trudged towards his music room.

Nadir blinked. _That was.. strange. _He was about to go after Erik, but he restrained himself. Erik obviously didn't want to be around anyone at the current time.

He sat back down. _What just happened here? _Had something gone wrong with Christine? Perhaps he would ask tomorrow once Erik was calm again.

* * *

Christine ran into her house after work and didn't stop running until she was seated at her computer. She only hoped Erik had replied to her email by now. _Oh, but who cares if he hasn't? _Christine needed to email him. She needed someone to talk to about Noah, and Erik was the only person who knew about him. He would just have to put up with her story, whether it bored him or not. Knowing Erik, though, she knew it wouldn't bore him. He would, hopefully, give her some good solid advice.

If Christine was to be honest, she had to admit that she was on the verge of tears. Noah had never left her before in such a way. Who knew if he would come back? Was she seriously losing a friend?

But the problem seemed so much deeper than that.

All the times they'd talked, all the times he'd made her blush, all the times he'd made her laugh, all the times he'd smiled... This was definitely more than friendship, wasn't it... It wasn't even questionable.

Why was it that Christine was only just now figuring this out? Noah, the man she had seen twice a week for a month, was someone she had come to care for a great deal. She liked everything about him. "Oh..." It hit her, and it hit her hard. She liked Noah.. a lot. "Oh, no," she whispered.

Pen-a-Pal loaded and she stared at the homepage.

There was another problem.

Christine didn't just like Noah. She also liked another person, a person she couldn't see- Erik. It was the first time that piece of knowledge was hitting her, too. "Uh oh..."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Christine thought Noah had looked flustered at the Macaroni Grill earlier that night? Well, looking back on it, he probably hadn't felt half as flustered as she was currently feeling. In the past five minutes, she had figured out two important things. One, she liked Noah. Two, she liked Erik.

_How can I like two different people at the same time? _It really didn't make much sense to her, but hell, what could make sense at a time like this?

She was still staring at the homepage of Pen-a-Pal. Before five minutes ago, she had been planning on emailing Erik with her Noah problems. But how could she possibly email her problems to one of the very people who was the problem?

_They _weren't the problem, though.. Her _feelings _were the problem. What was she going to do? What could she possibly say to Erik in an email now? All of her words would just seem awkward. And what about Noah? If he ever did come back to the Macaroni Grill, which she was still unsure about.. But if he did, she would probably just act retarded in front of him. _Just great... I've pretty much ruined everything._

"Sooo," her brother said abruptly from right behind her.

Christine yelped in surprise and then twirled her chair around to face him. "Brian, you scared me!"

Brian's eyebrows rose at her exclamation. "Whoa, chill. Sorry for scaring you.." Studying her face, he knew immediately that something wasn't right. "What's wrong with you?"

She quickly turned in her chair so that she wasn't facing him. "Nothing."

For some reason, she was keeping whatever was the problem from him. That just wasn't going to work this time. "Christine, seriously, I can see that there's something wrong. Talk to me." His eyes turned to the computer screen. Pen-a-Pal. "Is it because of that dating site?"

Turning again in her chair, she glared up at him. "No, it's not because of Pen-a-Pal. Look, I don't want to talk about it. Just go live your simple, carefree life."

Ok, that was it! He'd had it. "My 'simple, carefree life'? What's that supposed to mean? You're not around enough to know what my life is like, so stop making assumptions."

To his complete and utter shock, he saw tears come to his sister's eyes. He instantly felt horrible for what he'd said. "Oh, no.. Chris, what's wrong?"

Christine tried to sniff back her tears, but it didn't work. They just kept coming. _He only got mad for a second, and yet I start crying because of it? How humiliating! _"Don't worry," she tried to reassure him while covering her face with one hand. "I'm fine. I mean, I'll be fine."

Brian sighed and looked towards the ceiling briefly. How the heck was he supposed to handle this? "Look, I don't know what this is about.. I know I haven't been supportive with this whole website thing. Is that it? Is that why you're crying?"

Surprisingly, she laughed a little while still trying to keep her face hidden. "No, no, it's not that. I don't really care if you support it or not." _Now that just sounded mean. _Groaning, she forced herself to calm down enough to uncover her face. "Sorry, I do care.. Just not right now."

"What's going on, then?"

"You're not a girl.. It's kind of hard to talk about this with a guy.."

Usually, knowing that would have been his cue to back off, but it wasn't going to stop him this time. "I'm the only person around, so I'm the only person you _can _talk to right now. So just talk to me."

Christine considered his words. _Maybe he's right.. _"I like two people, and I don't have a chance with either of them."

Brian was surprised by how fast the words came out of her mouth. He took a moment to process the information before deciding that it would be best for him to sit down. This was going to take some talking through. After sitting on the corner of her bed, he said, "Ok. You like two guys who you don't think you have a chance with. I'm going to need you to elaborate some. I didn't even know there were two guys in your life. I guess neither of us have been around much."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." _He's going to be the first person I literally talk to about Noah. And I'm going to have to tell him more about Erik. Hmm.. Ok, here goes. _"So, well, you know how I have been working at the Macaroni Grill almost every night?" She watched him nod. "Yeah, well, I met someone there. A customer." Christine waited for him to scold her about it, but that didn't happen. In fact, he didn't say anything. "Well, so, he's come into the restaurant two nights a week for the past month, and I've talked to him on shift breaks. And just before you came in here, I realized that I like him. I mean, I _really _like him. He's just such a great person. Seriously, I wish things were different and you could meet him. You'd approve, I guarantee it." She was pretty much completely happy by then while thinking about all the time she had spent with Noah.. But that happiness didn't last long. "So yeah.. He's perfect, and I don't stand a chance."

"I just listened to every word you said, but I didn't hear anything that led me to believe that you don't stand a chance. Actually, I still don't know anything about the guy. What makes you think you're not good enough for him?"

Christine thought about it for a few seconds. "For one thing, he's rich. I mean, he's _really _rich. The first night I talked to him, he left me 150 dollars. Can you believe that? 150 dollars! And then I realized that he's the owner of that Rolls Royce Phantom I told you about."

Brian recalled the time she'd told him about it. His eyes widened. "Seriously?" She nodded vigorously. "That's crazy!"

"I know! And not only that.. He acts like the most proper gentleman you'll ever meet. He wears a suit every time he comes in, he orders the most expensive wine, and the way he talks just isn't normal." Christine sighed. "I'm not good enough. He could probably buy somebody who's good enough for him."

"Yet you're the person he keeps visiting. Twice a week every week, right? Come on, Christine, this is pretty obvious.." He could tell she didn't think so. "He likes you. I mean, really, he gave you 150 dollars the first time he saw you, and he kept seeing you after that. I'd say he probably likes you more than you like him." He shook his head and laughed. "Wow, Chris, have you really not thought about that before. Him liking you, that is?"

"That's ridiculous," Christine said, brushing it off. "If anything, he thinks of me as a silly little teenager. He only gave me that money because it looked like I needed it. And he probably keeps coming back because he feels sorry for me."

"Not true," Brian insisted. "He keeps coming back because he enjoys your company. And I'm sure he told you why he gave you the money. You had to have asked him, right?"

Christine did remember his reason. "Yeah, something about me making him happier than he'd been in a long time. But of course he would feel that way when other people are so judgmental towards him!"

Brian had felt like they were getting somewhere until right then. "Wait, what?"

She'd left out one key part- his appearance. _Should I tell Brian? Will he act like everybody else? _"He wears a mask that covers his entire face."

Brian was speechless for a second while processing what his sister had just told him. "You're telling me that you've been talking to a guy you can't even fully see?"

Christine's eyes narrowed dangerously. He really was just like everybody else, wasn't he? "I can't believe you would judge him without even seeing him!"

He didn't want to push her away, although he was definitely suspicious of this guy now. What, was he some sort of criminal? A person wanted by the police? If he were to ever hurt Christine... But, Brian _could _be wrong. Maybe this Noah wore a mask because he was just plain weird? Or maybe he was hiding his face for a physical reason? It wasn't unthinkable. _Alright, I'll try to be ok with this. _"Hey, I'm not judging him. I'm just acknowledging the fact that you've gotten to know a guy you can't see. I mean, aren't you curious?"

"About what?"

"About what?" he repeated incredulously. "About seeing his face, of course. I know I'd be."

She shrugged. "No, not really. I can see enough of him. I can see his eyes, and I can see his lower jawline and mouth. That's all I need."

"Huh," Brian muttered while thinking. "You really do like him, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. Why are you just now believing that, though?"

It was his turn to shrug. "I dunno.. I can just see it. In your eyes." Their conversation wasn't over, though. "So, what about this other guy? Who is he?"

Christine knew her brother wasn't going to be as accepting towards Erik as he had been with Noah. "His name is Erik, and I've been emailing him through Pen-a-Pal."

Brian's eyes moved towards the computer monitor where the words 'Pen-a-Pal' could be seen on the screen. "You mean, you actually like the person you've been contacting through that dating site?"

"It's not a dating site!" Christine had really had enough of hearing him say that.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. That pen pal site, then. You seriously like the guy you've been emailing?"

"Yes. I like him a lot. I've been emailing him all summer, and I'm pretty sure I've liked him for most of that time. I'm only just now realizing it, though."

Laughing, everything seemed to come together in his head. "So you like two guys, and you can't see either of them."

"It's not funny." Christine's eyes fell to the floor. "I have major problems, don't I?"

He stopped laughing immediately. "No, Chris. You don't have major problems. You like two people. And so they're different than other people, who cares? It obviously hasn't affected your decision to like them. I actually think it's pretty cool. And it sounds like they both like you, so congratulations."

"You really think Erik likes me?" Her eyes were hopeful.

Brian gave her a sort of 'Duh' look. "Of course he likes you. I'd say it's the same thing with this guy as it is with Noah. He probably likes you more than you like him."

She definitely liked what she was hearing. What he was saying sounded sincere. But... He hadn't helped her at all. "What am I supposed to do, though? It's impossible for me to continue emailing Erik and seeing Noah, isn't it?"

"Not at all. Haven't you heard me? They both like you. Trust me, I can tell. Maybe you should just tell them-"

"Do you hear yourself?" Christine interrupted. "I can't like both of them. It's impossible. I have to choose."

"Who says?"

"_I _say!"

Brian just shook his head at her. "It's not like you're marrying them. Just tell them you like them, see how it goes. Everything happens for a reason, right? Things will work out the way they're supposed to."

Christine huffed and felt some jealousy. "Why can't I be as relaxed about this as you are?"

"You just figured out you like two people. There's no way you can relax after realizing that. Just give it some time. Then, once you're ready, tell them how you feel. What have you got to lose?"

She could have said 'A lot. I have a lot to lose', but how did she know? Maybe Brian was right? Even if he wasn't, this was the only advice she was going to get because she wasn't going to get other people involved. "Well, thanks. Thank you for helping me. I'll let you know how things go," she said with a smile that was meant to ease his mind.

Brian could tell he hadn't fully gotten through to her. Maybe she didn't like what he had to say... Well, at least he'd tried. "Good luck. Trust me, everything will be ok." He stood and reached out to ruffle her hair. "I'm going to bed. Night, Chris."

"Good night." He was almost out the door. "And Brian?" He turned and looked at her expectantly. "Thanks again. You're the best." She watched him nod and grin before leaving the room, closing the door on his way out.

When she was alone again, Christine turned in her chair and looked at the computer screen. She sighed and lowered her head until her chin was resting in the palm of her hand. _Should I take Brian's advice? _As if her hands had a mind of their own, they logged onto her Pen-a-Pal account and waited for the information to load. Then, to her surprise, the Inbox showed that there was an email from Erik waiting for her to read. Her heart started beating excitedly, but she frowned. _Could things be anymore confusing?_

* * *

It was morning... again. It'd been three days since Erik had seen Christine at the Macaroni Grill, and it'd been three days since he'd emailed her, too. He hadn't logged onto Pen-a-Pal during that time either. All Erik had really done was sleep and compose. For some reason, compositions were coming to him faster than usual. Or, perhaps things were returning to the way they used to be...before Christine. He could remember a time when composing had been easy, the notes and words just waiting to be used.

But then Christine had come into his life full force. His purpose of existing, which was composing, had taken 'second place'. Christine had consumed every part of his life. There hadn't been room for anything else, and yet he had been happy. So, so happy. But that was over now. He needed to move on. There was just too much to 'fix' with Christine. The mistakes he had made, the primary mistake being his continuous lies, weren't able to be taken back. She would never understand... _He _couldn't even fully understand.

And so he wouldn't try to understand. He would only compose. That would have to be enough. She would move on. A kind, gentle, beautiful person like her would have no trouble forgetting him. Erik could force himself to be content knowing that.

He got out of bed and staggered across the mansion towards his music room, passing his computer room on the way. He forced himself not to think about it or give into his temptations. That part of his life was over.

His lies couldn't be forgiven, but they could be forgotten.

* * *

_I've had quite enough of this, thank you very much! _Nadir thought while watching Erik pass by the doorway of the den he was in. He hurriedly walked to the doorway and peeked his head out just in time to see his masked friend walk past the computer room without stopping. _What in the world is going on?_

Nadir knew for a fact that Erik hadn't sat at his computer or left the house for the past three days. He knew this because he had been watching him like a hawk. He was the closest thing Erik had to a parent, so it was his duty to make sure he was ok. And it was obvious that the man wasn't ok.

He just didn't know why. Erik's strange disposition three nights before had been alarming, to say the least, and Nadir still had yet to get to the bottom of it. The mystery was becoming too much for him to handle. He wanted to give Erik time to return to normal, but it looked as though time wasn't helping. All he was doing was composing and sleeping. Nadir wasn't even sure if he was eating.

His behavior was just so unusual. And yet, from what Nadir could see, Erik was returning to his old ways- the ways that had made him rich and famous. It wasn't healthy anymore.

Nadir listened as Erik began playing one of his compositions on the piano. Deliberating over the matter at hand while standing in the doorway of the den, he finally made up his mind. He had never been one to sit around while others were suffering. Erik wouldn't even be alive today if that were the case. With one final confident nod of his head, Nadir left the den and headed for the music room planning out the talk they were about to have.

"Erik," Nadir announced when he stepped into the room.

Erik stopped playing but didn't turn towards him. "Yes, Nadir?" he asked nonchalantly.

Nadir wouldn't be fooled by his tone. After all these years, he knew better. "We must talk. You are behaving strangely. I'm not even sure if you've had a proper meal in three days. I have forced myself to leave you alone until now, but I cannot overlook this any longer." After a few seconds of silence, Nadir gasped when, without responding in any way, Erik began to play again. Quite frankly, he felt like slamming the keyboard cover on his fingers. That was how irritated he was.

"Enough of this!" Nadir bellowed. To his luck, Erik stopped playing again. He stomped forward until he was standing beside the piano bench. "What has happened between you and Christine? I must know!"

"Christine is a thing of the past," Erik said without a hint of emotion in his tone. "Now, if you will excuse me.."

He was about to begin playing again, but Nadir stopped him by asking, "You're able to forget the woman you love so easily?"

Erik froze when the words were comprehended. "What did you just say?" he whispered.

"You love her, Erik," Nadir said. "You haven't realized that yet?" Erik was usually so intuitive.. But Nadir supposed he couldn't be when it came to his heart.

"You know nothing." Erik spoke the words without his usual hostility, though. He was really still thinking about what Nadir had said. It was true, he hadn't realized it... And yet, the feelings were there, and they were very real. _Oh.. _Nadir was speaking the truth. _How have I been able to deny this for so long? _Christine meant so much to him in so many ways. Everything from her emails to her mannerisms to her voice to her natural radiance... He loved it all.

A silence hung in the air. Nadir knew Erik was becoming accustomed to the feelings he hadn't known were there until now. "I'm happy for you, Erik." _You deserve this._

A sort of confusion was reaching Erik's mind. _How was I able to give 'Noah' up so quickly three nights ago? One small misunderstanding, and I go so far as to erase that identity? _He had to admit that it was very unlike him. 'Noah' would never have reacted so rashly. 'Erik', on the other hand.. Well, he was a paranoid person in rough situations. His personality had taken a turn for the worst at the most inappropriate of times.

Now, he hadn't conversed with Christine in three days. It was unforgivable! How could he ever make amends with the woman he loved? _The woman I love... _A smile reached his lips. Well, he would start by opening up to Nadir. "For once, I believe you are right," he began softly. "I didn't realize the depth of my feelings. Perhaps I am not as wise as you think I am."

Nadir smiled and suppressed a chuckle. "You are still a genius, Erik, do not doubt it. You have been confused, that's all. You've never loved another."

Actually, if Erik were to really be honest, he did love one other person. He loved Nadir as a son would love a father. Only, he could never express his feelings. Indeed, he would feel too vulnerable. "Yes, that's true.." Sighing, he asked, "Nadir, how am I to handle this?" Well, speaking of feeling vulnerable, he was feeling that way now...

"I don't believe you need my help with it," Nadir replied, studying the man before him. "I believe you know what you need to do. Now, I will wish you luck." He was halfway towards the door when he remembered something important. He turned and begged, "Please eat something, Erik. You know I do not like it when I think you're hungry." Then, he left the room.

Erik chuckled a little. It was just so typical of Nadir to think of his appetite. Returning his thoughts to Christine, he frowned barely knowing where to begin. _Well, I suppose I should start by being 'Erik'. I will look to see if she has emailed me! _he thought excitedly_. Perhaps then, I will be able to think more clearly._

After reaching his computer, he waited while the Internet loaded. Then, while logging onto Pen-a-Pal, a sudden scary but powerful thought came to him. _It would probably be wise to finally tell her the truth._


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_Three days... Has it really been three days? _Christine was at home on a Tuesday night. This was her first night off work since the previous Tuesday, and all she could do was think about Erik and Noah. She was mainly thinking of Erik, though.

He had yet to email her. It was breaking her heart.

_After the email I sent him on Saturday, you'd think... This must mean something.. What if what I said scared him away? He doesn't reciprocate my feelings, does he?_

Maybe this was a sign. _'Everything happens for a reason,' _she remembered her brother saying. If he was right, then maybe this was proof that she shouldn't choose Erik. Choosing between him and Noah was impossible when it came to herself having to decide. But maybe the decision had been made for her. _I guess I should choose Noah._

* * *

Erik logged into Pen-a-Pal and waited anxiously for the homepage to load. _I cannot believe the mistake I have made. If she emailed me when she got home from work on Saturday night, then my having yet to respond is rude and unacceptable. Not receiving a reply from me in such a large amount of time will surely make her hate me.. or even give up on me. _Part of him was wishing he wouldn't find an email in his Inbox so that his thoughts wouldn't come to pass. Another part of him, though, was hoping he would have an email to read, for he always loved reading emails from the woman he loved. _The woman I love.. _The realization was still so new to him, his feelings so foreign.

The homepage loaded, and Erik felt his heart sink as the all too familiar sound reached his ears that he did indeed have an email. He clicked on the Inbox with a hesitant hand and found, to his horror, that the email was sent on Saturday night. _Oh, no.. _

He gulped but continued forward.

**Dear Erik,**

**First, I want to tell you what I thought of the song you sent me in your last email. I loved it. It was so moving and powerful. You just play so well that it really is unbelievable. I could tell it was a difficult piece. Have you ever thought of publishing your music? Without a doubt, you would get it published, no problem. I believe that with my whole heart. It's just a suggestion, but I really think you should give it a try. Then, if you did get it published, I would be able to say with pride that I know a famous person. This is all only if you want to, of course. Well, I will end it there.**

**The wedding was perfect. My mom and Jeremy were so happy. There weren't many guests, mainly people from Jeremy's side of the family and a few of my mom's friends. That didn't take away from anything, though. I was the Maid of Honor, as I told you in my last email, and I felt really lucky for that. The reception went well, too. There was a lot of dancing. I didn't take part in that too much. (I haven't told you this before and I'm not sure why I'm telling you now, as it doesn't really matter, but I'm not a very good dancer.) Well, so now Mom and Jeremy have gone to the beach for their honeymoon. They're staying there for two weeks, which is a really long time. I'm sure they'll have fun. So yeah, the wedding was beautiful.**

**I'm glad you don't mind that I tell you about Noah. It means a lot to me that you're willing to listen to everything I blab on about. I know you already are aware of this, since I've told you before, but our emails mean more to me than I can put into words.**

**This is turning into a rather long email, but I'm not finished yet. There's still one more thing I want to tell you.**

Erik read the words carefully, his full attention fixated on the email on the screen. He didn't even realize he was on the edge of his seat.

**We've been emailing each other for a long time now, haven't we? I've enjoyed every second of it. There's something I want to tell you, but I'm not really sure how. I have to admit that I am incredibly nervous. Well, the thing is... You've been an amazing friend to me this summer, and I'm beginning to realize that my feelings for you are growing. I like you, Erik. I think I've liked you for a while now, but I only realized the extent of it tonight. My only hope is that my words don't scare you. Well, I hope for something else, too. I can't help but hope you feel the same as I do. I understand if you don't. If you don't like me, we can pretend like this email never happened. I'm perfectly willing to do that. But, if you do like me, then I would like to meet you. We live in the same city according to our profiles, so it wouldn't be difficult to pick a spot to meet. Please know that this is all up to you and it won't make a difference if you don't want to. Well, I suppose I've said enough.**

**I hope this hasn't confused you, scared you, or upset you. That's the last thing I want. I just felt like you should know.**

**Have a wonderful night.**

**Christine **

Erik was frozen. He was as still as a statue, but his thoughts weren't. _What? D-did I really just read what I thought I read? _He had to make sure. His eyes darted towards the fourth paragraph again, and he read it four times in a row.

It was true, he finally decided. The words were there. His only thought was, _What? _Erik just couldn't understand it. He was trying, that was for sure, but his efforts were unsuccessful. _How can this be? It can't be. It most certainly cannot be. _It was right in front of him, though...

His own feelings were unmistakeable, but hers? He'd never even considered _this_. _This _hadn't seemed possible. The pieces weren't fitting.

A moment later, a voice emerged from him that he didn't even recognize. "Nadir!" he screamed desperately. Him wanting Nadir to know this was _completely _unexpected. But he didn't know what to do. Erik had never been approached with a dilemma such as this, and he needed help for the first time in his life.

Nadir ran to the doorway of the computer room, his face panicked. "What? What is it, Erik?" He was extremely concerned.

Erik slowly turned in his chair and stared up at Nadir with wide, surprised eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but words didn't come.

"Erik?" he asked uncertainly, his head tilting to one side. _What in the world? _Nadir had never seen this side of him before. Erik looked.. well, he looked flabbergasted.

"S-she," Erik began. After a few seconds of continuing to stare, he finally shook his head coming out of his daze. "She, Christine, sent me an email on Saturday night, and I just read it for the first time. Well, I have read it several times now." He shook his head again. "Nadir, you will never believe this. I am shocked. I am in complete and total shock."

Eagerness was evident in Nadir's tone as he asked, "What did the email say?"

"Nadir, she _likes _me," Erik told him. He couldn't believe the words he'd spoken, and it was very obvious by the way he said them.

Nadir blinked. His surprise was brief. "That's not surprising, Erik."

"_What?_" Erik asked sharply. "It isn't?"

"No, not at all." He was all smiles. "Of course she likes you. She has every reason to like you. Erik, this is wonderful!" He could see that his friend was still in a state of shock and disbelief. "Come now, think about it. This should serve as a dream come true for you. You and Christine are on the same wavelength. You share the same feelings." Nadir had to make him see.

Erik thought about that before slowly saying, "But we don't. She only 'likes' me, Nadir. I 'love' her. Our feelings are not the same."

Nadir sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling before looking down at Erik again. "Of course she only likes you, Erik. The girl hasn't even _met _you, or so she believes. It would be odd, to say the least, if she said that she loves you." His friend didn't speak. "Don't you agree?"

"I suppose..." he replied halfheartedly.

"I'm right, Erik. It takes seeing a person for feelings to deepen to such a level."

Erik finally nodded, accepting Nadir's words as truth. "You _are _right. But.. We cannot meet. It would be impossible. No," he continued while thinking it through. "She would never forgive me for such deceit. To see Noah and know he is actually _me _would thoroughly confuse her. The truth would change her mind," he explained, referring to her feelings for him.

Nadir's brow furrowed in a disapproving way. "You honestly wish to continue with the lies? Erik, you can't. Everything has changed now. You've realized you love her, you've discovered she likes you. 'Noah' cannot exist any longer."

That made Erik a bit angry. "You do not make the decisions concerning this matter, Nadir." Sighing and speaking more to himself than to the man in front of him, he asked, "Why did I involve you?" Then, he refocused on Nadir. "I will decide on my own. You may leave now." He turned in his chair to face the computer again.

"Fine," Nadir said bitterly. "Fine." He crossed his arms and stomped off, thoroughly disappointed in his friend.

Erik covered his masked face with his hands tiredly. _Why did I do that? Nadir is right, after all. Deep down, I do know that. _He remembered the thought he'd had before reading Christine's email. He had inwardly decided that he should tell Christine the truth. And now, it was necessary. For them to continue like they were before was impossible. It couldn't happen.

_But how do I tell her the truth?_

Oh, how he wished he hadn't been so harsh towards Nadir! Truthfully, he could still use his help. _No,_ he suddenly thought. _I have to do this on my own. _

Opening a Microsoft Word document, Erik pondered what to type. He knew this was going to take quite some time.

**Dear Christine,**

Yes, he would begin with that.

**I must first apologize thoroughly. I am terribly sorry for my behavior. It is entirely unacceptable. My lack of a response to your email is unforgivable. I am so sorry. You do not deserve the treatment you have received. Oh, how I hope you can forgive me. Please, I beg this of you.**

He supposed that would have to serve as an acceptable apology. Of course, it was impossible to fully translate the depths of his feelings through email. _Please let her forgive me. _

Moving on, he began typing again.

**I will move on now.**

He considered the words and shook his head.

**I will move onto the most important part of this email. Christine, you have surprised me. You have left me speechless. I honestly do not know where to begin, but I suppose I will start by saying this: You have no reason to feel nervous. You have not scared me away, nor have you upset me. I may have been confused at first, but not in a bad way, I can assure you. Christine, my dear, you must know and believe what I am about to tell you. I like you, too. Your feelings are so similar to my own. I believe I have liked you for a long time. Your emails serve as the highlight of my existence. I have grown to know you, and I have grown to care for you, deeply. Yes, you were my friend at first. In fact, you are still my friend. You are my closest friend. But, you are also the person who holds my deepest affection. You are unlike anyone I have ever known. I adore you.**

Erik erased that last sentence. 'Adore' seemed like too strong of a word. She only 'liked' him. He would have to portray the same feelings and refrain from the words, 'love' and 'adore'.

**I cherish you.**

_Yes, I can admit that. _He began a new paragraph.

**You wish to meet me. I wish for the same thing.**

Erik's hands were shaking as he typed that. This was it. His meeting her would change _everything_. _Oh, good lord, what am I thinking? _Remembering what Nadir had said and recalling his own thoughts from before, he nodded slowly. _I have to do this._

**It's true, we do live in the same city. Choosing a meeting place is proving to be a bit difficult for me, though. For reasons you may not understand, I wish to meet at night. Would you care to let me know your work schedule so that we can choose a good time? I am open to suggestions on where we meet, as long as it is at night.**

**I hope you can forgive me for my absence over the past three days. I am truly sorry. I also hope you will believe what I have told you.**

**I eagerly await your reply,**

**Erik**

_Hmm.. _Erik had to admit that he rather liked what he'd typed. For the first time since composing his most famous opera, which had been years ago, he was proud of himself.

He proceeded to copy and paste the words to a reply email. Then, after reading it over about ten more times, he took a deep breath and clicked 'Send Now'.

* * *

Christine was depressed. She knew the feeling well enough from past experience to know that she was definitely feeling it now. It was the morning of the fourth day, and she had yet to receive anything from Erik. It was so upsetting. She'd conveyed her true feelings, and he'd left her feeling rejected. It just wasn't fair.

Without hope, she trudged towards her computer and logged into Pen-a-Pal with slow, lifeless fingers.

What she wasn't expecting was the next thing that happened. An email. An email! There was an email! _Oh. My. Gosh! _This was too much. Her heart was pounding, her eyes were wide, and her mouth was open in complete disbelief.

Then, she let out a loud squeal. Good thing Brian was at work..

_But wait.. Just wait a second. _This email, however exciting it was to receive it, could very well be something she didn't want to read because it could hold news she didn't want to hear. It could most certainly be an email explaining that he wasn't interested in her. That would be dreadful, a huge let down.

She had to remember what she'd told him in the email she sent him Saturday night, though. '_If you don't like me, we can pretend like this email never happened.' Ok, I have to keep my word._

Focusing on her breathing, she clicked a few links and waited for the email to open. Then, she read its contents.

… She finished reading it.

… She finished reading it again.

… And again.

_Oh my... _she finally thought. Her hopes and dreams had just been confirmed. He'd just made her the happiest person alive. Christine couldn't help but read it again, a huge smile slowly brightening her face.

_Ahhhh! Is this really happening? I can't believe it! _She jumped in her seat and then twirled around in it before clapping excitedly. _Yes! Yes! Yes! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! _This was the best news she could ever hope to receive. He liked her, he _really _liked her. _'I cherish you.' _She squealed for a second time while thinking about those words. He was just so romantic!

Her feelings for him were deepening even further than before. _He's perfect. He's wonderful. And he likes me! _Giggling without being able to help it, she basked in the feelings for a while before clicking 'Reply' and beginning to type.

**Dear Erik,**

**You're forgiven. Your email was worth every second of waiting. I have never been so happy in my entire life. It was hard to believe what I read, at first. I just can't believe that you actually like me. You've made my day. You've made my life! Ok, about us meeting... My work schedule is a little hectic this week, but I do have a night off on Sunday. It's perfectly fine that you want to meet at night. I'm a night person, anyway. Perhaps we have that in common, too. Would you like to meet at Byrd Park? We could meet in the parking lot and walk around while we talk. Would you want to meet at 9:00 pm? Just let me know if any of this doesn't work for you.**

**I am so excited. You have thrilled me. You said you were speechless in your email. Well, I'm speechless, too.**

**Have a great day.**

**Christine**

She smiled once the words were typed thinking she'd done pretty well for a first try. It was coincidental, too. They would meet at 9:00 pm, which was the same time Noah always came into the Macaroni Grill. Funny how things work out sometimes.

Clicking 'Send Now', Christine leaned back in her seat and smiled blissfully. Everything was perfect now. _I choose Erik._


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

"I told Erik that I like him! Can you believe it, Brian? I actually told him!" Christine explained to her brother while making excited motions with her hands. He'd just gotten home from work, and she was due to go into work in an hour.

Brian laughed at his sister's child-like enthusiasm. "I take it things went well, then?"

Christine nodded. "Yeah, he likes me, too! Isn't it wonderful?"

He continued to laugh while nodding his agreement.

"We're going to meet! That's the best part."

"That's great, Chris!" He was really happy for her.

"Yeah, we're meeting at Byrd park on Sunday night!" Christine was having difficulty not shouting, due to her happiness.

That was when Brian frowned. He'd found a problem. "Night? Why would you choose to meet him at night?"

His words made her excitement dwindle some. "I didn't choose to. He did."

His head fell forward slightly in a disbelieving sort of way. "Are you kidding me? Christine, how could you be so naïve? You can't meet him at night, that's just _asking _for trouble. Don't you get it?"

Christine's brow furrowed, first in confusion and then in frustration. She understood what he was saying. "What? Erik's not like that. He would never-... Look, you were the one who told me to do this. Don't start trying to persuade me not to go through with it when it was you who set this whole thing up."

Brian knew he'd really made her mad this time. But he couldn't just sit back and watch when she could very well be making a huge mistake. "Listen to me, Christine." Slowly, he told her, "You have never met this guy, Erik. You know him through a website that millions of people around the world consider to be dangerous. He may be a nice guy, but you can't be sure. I _really _don't want you meeting him at night. Can't you just tell him that you want to meet during the day? Is that really too much to ask?"

A large part of Christine was extremely pissed off by what her brother was saying, but another part of her was considering his words. _Erik's a good guy. I _know _he is.. What if, though.. What if he's not the perfect fairytale I've talked him up to be? _"It might be too much to ask.. He really wanted to meet at night. He didn't really give me a good reason, but I'm just sure there is one."

He could see the conflict in his sister's eyes. He could practically hear her thoughts... _'Is he good? Or is he bad?' _"Please, I'm begging you, don't meet him at night. If he really likes you like I think he does, then he'll be ok with meeting you at a safer time."

Christine sighed, defeated. "Fine, I'll tell him. I just hope he'll still want to meet me..." She was about to walk off towards her bedroom, but her brother stopped her.

"Wait a second.. What kind of person asks a teenage girl to meet him for the first time at night, anyway? Any normal person would have to assume that asking such a thing would receive a negative response. Of course, not from someone like you.. but that's because you're retarded," Brian joked before laughing. The laughter stopped after only a second, though. "I don't know about this guy, Chris. I kind of think I should go with you when you meet him."

"What?" Christine asked. She wasn't liking that one bit. "No way. I mean, no, just no. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I'll do what you say when it comes to meeting him at a 'safer time', but you coming with me isn't an option."

There were plenty of ways Brian could sidestep what she was saying, but for now he'd leave it alone. "Just email him and tell him you want to meet at a different time. Start there."

Christine nodded and left the room. She and her computer were about to spend some quality time together before she had to go into work.

* * *

It was Wednesday afternoon and Erik was happier than he'd ever been in his entire life. He'd just finished reading Christine's email to him, and her typed words couldn't help but bring a grin to his masked face. For so long, he'd waited for something good to happen to him. _This _was that 'good thing'. She was now his reason for waking up in the morning, and she was the last thing he thought of at night. In his eyes, Christine was perfect. And she liked him. She actually liked him! Someone in this world had intimate feelings for him. It seemed unbelievable, but the facts had been in two emails now.

Erik was now in the process of replying to Christine's most recent email. He was going to confirm that the time and place she'd chosen to meet were wonderful. It made him nervous, though. True, he was happier than he'd ever been, but he was also incredibly worried. His 'good thing' could come to a crashing end on Sunday night.

Since sending the email he'd composed the previous night, all he could do was think about their meeting- how it would go, what they would say, and most importantly, what she would think. The unknown was terrifying.

He hadn't yet apologized to Nadir, either. He was currently at work and had been since early that morning, so Erik had yet to see him. Apologizing was going to be difficult, since he wasn't at all used to doing such a thing, but it was necessary. Nadir had been right. 'Noah' couldn't exist any longer. After Sunday, there would be no 'Noah'. If nothing else, Erik at least wanted Nadir to know that.

"Message received!" a voice coming from the computer's speakers suddenly exclaimed.

Erik hadn't been expecting to hear that at all and nearly fell off his chair in surprise. Calming down quickly, though, he smiled and checked the new email.

**Dear Erik,**

**I know you have yet to reply to my most recent email, but I needed to send this quickly. In my last email, I suggested that we meet at Byrd Park at 9:00 pm on Sunday. Well, I'm going to be honest. I talked to my brother about it, and he doesn't really want us to meet at night. At first, I was really mad at him for trying to control my life, but then I started to understand where he was coming from. I know you suggested that we meet at night, but I'm just wondering if we can change that? I am 99.9% sure you are a good, trustworthy person, but I think I would just feel better if we meet during the day. We can still meet at the park, but would an earlier time be ok with you? Maybe 2:00 pm?**

**I'm sorry to cause problems, but I just think it will be better this way.**

**Just let me know,**

**Christine**

Erik read over her email a second time before leaning back in his seat. _Damn, _he thought sadly. _Of course it was too good to be true... This is just so typical. My life can never be blissful for long. She wishes to meet during the day, but I simply cannot. _He couldn't for a very good reason, too. He was nervous enough as it was. Throw in an afternoon meeting and his nerves would go haywire. He wouldn't be able to think rationally in order to make her understand. They were dealing with quite a large liehere, and he needed complete control to fix the damage.

Her email was completely understandable, though. What had he been thinking asking her to meet him at night? Of course that wasn't the safe way to have a first meeting. Even someone as unaware of how communication worked as Erik should know something like that.

_But meeting her during the day is out of the question. _Oh, this was such a dilemma! If only he were cooler, calmer, and more collected. If only he were... '_Noah'.. _

The solution came to him so suddenly that he gasped.

_I can be 'Noah' telling her that I am Erik. Basically, it plays out as the same situation, only reversed. I will go to her as 'Noah' and tell her that I am Erik instead of going to her as Erik and telling her that I am 'Noah'. Why did I not think of this before? _To be such a genius, he really could be so slow at times.

This was easy. Being 'Noah' would keep him calm and focused. The difficulty of it would decrease dramatically.

But when? When would this meeting take place? _She said that she works every night this week except for Sunday. Perhaps I could go Saturday, _he thought, trying to delay it. Returning his thoughts to her email, though, he knew he couldn't go so long without replying. That would be rude. He needed to move the date of their meeting up.

_Friday? It would still seem rude if I didn't email her until then. Tomorrow?... Why not tonight? _That would be too soon, though. Or, would it? It was 4:45 pm. He still had four hours and fifteen minutes until their usual meeting time- 9:00 pm. _I can prepare myself easily given such a large amount of time. _Really, though? Could he?

Well, Erik was going to have to prepare himself, because the decision was made. The truth would come out tonight.

* * *

Work was slow, which wasn't surprising given that it was a Wednesday night. If this were Friday or Saturday, things would be different. Christine put a tip in her pocket that table eleven had left and began walking towards the kitchen. Things were pretty peaceful, actually. Tim wasn't working, so he wasn't pestering her. She really did feel bad thinking that way, though. The guy hadn't really done anything wrong. He just always had the tendency of asking her out at the wrong time. But what time would be the right time? Christine knew there was no right time.

Not currently, at least. Not when she liked someone already. She smiled at the thought. _Erik... _Maybe she would have an email waiting for her when she got home. Thinking like that would help get her through the last two hours of her shift.

Christine looked down at her watch. 9:10 pm... Not being able to help it, her eyes strayed towards Noah's table. What was she thinking, though? He hadn't visited since Saturday, and he'd left in such a panic that she was sure he'd never come back.

But, there he was sitting in his usual seat displaying his usual suave air. She was shocked. _But, I thought.. I thought I would never see him again. _She was wrong! It'd never felt so good to be wrong. His eyes latched onto hers, and she couldn't help but smile. He smiled, too. It seemed they were both happy to see one another.

_I still like him.. _It couldn't be denied. Christine still felt butterflies in her stomach when she saw him. It was frustrating. _I like Erik, not Noah! Girl, you like both of them. _For some reason, a voice similar to Meg's was telling her that last part. _Nevermind, forget it. _She would think about it later.

Christine realized she had been staring at Noah for a bit of an unreasonably long amount of time, but he'd been staring at her for just as long. She blushed unwillingly before finally walking towards his table. "Hi," she said with a small smile.

Noah's eyes brightened. "Hello, Christine."

She blushed again at the way he said her name. That was just the way he spoke, though. Everything he said was worthy of a blush. "Would you like to order anything?" she asked using her hostess-friendly voice.

"I believe I will have a glass of your Cabernet Sauvignon, the Coppola Diamond Collection Claret."

Christine remembered that being the first wine he'd ever ordered from her back a month ago. She decided not to mention it, though. He'd probably think she was some sort of creepy person remembering something like that. "Alright, I'll be right back." Walking away, Christine blushed and smiled some more, so happy he was actually there. It was true, she hadn't thought she would see him again after Saturday. But he was back, and he was acting like the same Noah she was used to. While getting his wine, she made sure to tell someone she was taking a break before going back to his table. "Here you are," she said, placing the wine on the table carefully.

"Merci, Christine," he said softly.

Her eyes widened. He'd just spoken French. To _her_! Could he get any better? Christine certainly didn't think so. She sat across from him and said, "I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm glad I'm here, as well."

She noticed that he refrained from mentioning his behavior on Saturday night, but that was ok with her. She'd actually prefer to regard the entire thing as never taking place.

"How are you?" he asked politely, yet there was always that bit of eagerness in his tone, too. It always made Christine feel significant to hear him speak like that.

"I'm fine. Tonight's been nice and slow. That's the way I prefer things."

"Yes, that does seem preferable." They smiled at each other. "Have you sung tonight?"

She shook her head. "No. Not singing would usually make work seem worse, but tonight has been an exception. I'm not sure why that is." Grinning, she said, "Or maybe it's because a part of me knew you were coming tonight."

Noah grinned right back. "I'd say that would have something to do with it."

Realizing that she was flirting, Christine inwardly cursed herself._ What am I doing? I like Erik!_ Her behavior was appalling.

"Are you alright?" he suddenly asked.

She looked at him coming out of her thoughts. Then, she laughed. "Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway, how are you?"

"I'm doing well. Coming here always tends to lift my spirits."

Christine's eyes became worried. "Were your spirits not lifted before?"

Noah chuckled while gazing at her. "My spirits were reasonably lifted before. What I mean to say is, being here with you pleases me a great deal. When I see you, it is as if every problem I have fades away."

A deep blush covered her cheeks at his words. He'd never been so forward before, and she found that she liked it... _More than I should, probably. _

"When does your shift end tonight?"

"I get off at 11:00."

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like to talk to you more then." Noah's gaze was intense, as if there was some hidden meaning to what he was saying.

Her mouth opened slightly in brief disbelief. Never before had he wished to see her outside of work. "Yes," she replied without hesitation. "I would love to talk to you more then." They continued to talk for the next seven minutes before Christine knew she had to get back to work. "I'll come by and say hi every so often."

Noah smiled. "I would love that."

"Au revoir," Christine said as smoothly as she could. He'd spoken French to her, so she wanted to speak some back to him. Making a fool of herself wasn't her intention, though, so she hoped it came across well.

He seemed momentarily stunned, actually. It made Christine feel proud of herself, but at the same time, she blushed. With a slight wave, she walked away.

* * *

Erik watched her walk away while his heart hammered roughly in his chest. The way she'd spoken French was just utterly... Well, he didn't quite know the word for it. Perhaps 'endearing'. Yes, it was completely and utterly endearing. He was just so in love with the girl.

He was also feeling quite proud of himself. He'd gotten into character nicely tonight. Things had gone smoothly, and for that he was relieved. The hard part was yet to come, though. In an hour and a half, he would have to reveal to her the truth that could change everything. What exactly would that change be?

He pondered this for the next hour and a half while watching Christine and sipping on wine. The change would be significant, that was for sure. But, would it be good or bad? Time would tell. Erik watched as she waved at him for the seventh time, a precious smile on her face. He waved back and sighed. He just wanted 'good' change to take place.

A few minutes later, Christine walked towards him, her purse on her shoulder. "Well, I'm done," she announced. "I'm so glad to be done, too."

Erik wished he could say the same. He'd wanted to put this off for as long as possible. _I am not prepared for this... _

"Um, there's some benches outside. Do you want to go sit down and talk?"

She was just so dear to him. He couldn't bear to lose her. All he could do was stand and nod. They walked outside and Erik followed her to one of the benches, the one furthest from the restaurant's entrance.

"Thanks for wanting to talk more. I have to admit that I've always wanted to talk to you outside of work." She laughed some, obviously feeling embarrassed for saying that.

She was adorable. And he was about to break her heart. Erik didn't know where to begin.

"Are you ok?" Christine asked, the same worry she'd displayed earlier reentering her tone.

"Yes," Erik replied quickly. "I mean.." _What do I mean? _"No. I'm afraid I am not ok." His eyes were focused downward.

"What's wrong?"

She was truly concerned, and that made Erik choke up a bit. For someone to be concerned about him.. For _this _someone to be concerned. It was truly undeserved. "Forgive me.."

Then, out of the blue, he felt Christine touch his arm. His breathing ceased and his eyes darted towards her face.

"You can talk to me. I want you to feel like you can open up to me."

_It has to happen. Now. _"I need to tell you something, Christine," he began slowly. _Forgive me. Please forgive me. _"What I am about to say will come as a bit of a shock." _'A bit of a shock'? Come now, Erik, that was idiotic! _She removed her hand from his arm and watched him patiently. About five seconds passed before he finally said, "My name isn't Noah."

Everything was silent for more than a moment. Christine was looking at him in a confused way.

"My name is.. Erik."

A slight gasp escaped her lips. Of course she recognized the name.. But her initial shock was replaced with a confused smile. "Well then, hi, Erik."

"Christine," he whispered. She didn't understand. He had to make her understand. Finally, he confessed, "My name is Erik, and I've been emailing you through Pen-a-Pal this summer." Even to him, that sentence sounded strange. But, well, he'd said it. He'd _finally _said it... She wasn't speaking.

An unreadable expression adorned her beautiful face. Her eyes never left his as the seconds wore on. But then, she shook her head and blinked. "I-I'm sorry... But _what_?"

She was still speaking to him! Quite frankly, Erik hadn't even expected that much. Perhaps she would forgive him after all. "It's me.. Erik." ...She wasn't speaking again. This time, though, her breathing was becoming more shallow. "Christine?" he asked hesitantly.

Blinking, she snapped out of it again. "N-Noah?" It seemed like she was desperately trying to confirm that he was still 'Noah'. She still wanted him to be 'Noah'.

Erik shook his head and gulped. "No, I'm not Noah." The hurt look on her face made tears come to his eyes. He _never _wanted to see that. "Oh, Christine, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." _I can't lose her! I can't!_

"This is for real, isn't it?" she said, her voice weak.

The hurt, the weakness.. Erik never wanted to be the one to put her in such a state! "I-I'm sorry-"

"You're sorry," she interrupted, her voice growing stronger. Erik waited for whatever was to come next. "Well, you know what? Sorry just sometimes isn't good enough." Christine stood but then sat down again and crossed her arms. "No, I'm not going anywhere. I want an explanation."

An explanation? Now _that_ was something he hadn't planned well ahead of time... She watched him with fierce eyes and pursed lips while he desperately searched for the right words to say. This was a 'bad' reaction, that was for sure, and it was only going to get worse before it got better.

* * *

Christine could only sit looking at Noah's masked face for what seemed a lifetime. He'd just told her that he was Erik. _He just told me that his name is Erik and he's _the _Erik I've been emailing all summer.. What. The. Heck? _This was Noah, the man she'd been seeing for a month now... Not Erik. He _couldn't _be Erik.

How did he even _know _about Erik? She'd never mentioned him in Noah's presence. That had been a secret she'd wanted to keep hidden.

Why was he doing this? _How _was he doing this? She shook her head. "I-I'm sorry... But _what_?"

He repeated himself. He told her that he was Erik. But no, no, this couldn't be happening. That meant... Erik or Noah or whoever this guy was had been lying to her... all summer... making her believe things were true that really weren't... making her develop feelings for him.. or them? _Ahhh, this is so confusing! _"N-Noah?" _This can't be happening... The Noah I know wouldn't do something like this. Neither would Erik.. But..._

Again, he repeated himself saying that he was Erik.

So, that meant... This was _real_. She'd never told Noah about Erik, so this had to be real. He was telling the truth... for the first time. He'd deceived her. She was beginning to feel sick.. She was also beginning to panic some. This man.. This _masked _man was nothing more than a liar. A liar hiding his true identity in more than one way. "This is for real, isn't it?"

By that point, anger was starting to take the place of panic. He apologized. Again and again. "You're sorry," she said, repeating his words. _No, I've had enough of this! _"Well, you know what? Sorry just sometimes isn't good enough." At that moment, another person came to her mind. Someone else who had lied to her in the past. Her mother. And what had she done when her mother finally told her the truth. She'd run away.

That was about to happen again. Christine stood from the bench. _Wait. Stop. You deserve an explanation. That's the very _least _you deserve. _She sat back down again and crossed her arms. "No, I'm not going anywhere. I want an explanation."

She watched him with narrowed eyes.. eyes filled with distrust. But, she would listen to whatever he had to say. Then, she would decide what to do. _I will either leave him and never speak to him again... or- well, I'll just have to wait and see..._


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

It could have been considered a nice, peaceful night. The temperature was just right -not too hot, not too cold- and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so the moon and stars could be seen easily. There weren't people around and traffic could barely be heard.

But, for two people sitting on a bench outside the Macaroni Grill, the peaceful night was going unnoticed. One was desperately trying to think of what to say while the other sat staring at him still trying to comprehend all that had occurred within the past three minutes.

_What do I say? Where do I begin? _Erik was at a loss for words. Knowing that Christine was on the verge of leaving him for good was impairing his ability to think properly. After all he had done to her, her reaction to finally hearing him admit the truth shouldn't have come as a surprise. But, it did come as just that.

Christine was well aware of the fact that he was panicking. She herself was in somewhat of the same state, just for a different reason. She'd never judged the man sitting beside her. Everyone else had judged him poorly based on his mask. Instead of stooping to their level, Christine had taken the chance to get to know him... or so she thought.

Really, she didn't know him at all. He'd lied to her, both through his visits and through his emails. He'd made her believe he was two different people. He'd fooled her, and she was now feeling humiliated and stupid. Christine never thought he could make her feel that way.

And why wasn't he speaking? She had a number of things she wished to ask and say, but she wanted him to talk first. Forgiveness was far from her mind, and it was going to continue to get farther away if he didn't start explaining.

_It has to be going on thirty seconds of silence. I'll give him fifteen more seconds.. If he doesn't say anything by then, I'm out of here. _It pained her to think that she would never see Noah or email Erik again. Losing two of her closest friends... If Christine thought about it too much, though, she was going to cry. She couldn't let that happen.

It was decided. Erik would tell her the whole truth. Everything. From the beginning. He took a deep, calming breath. "My name is Erik Destler, and I'm a composer," he began. "I'm a famous composer. However, because of the mask on my face, I have made it so that I am never seen. That is where Nadir, the man I live with, comes in. He is my publisher." _I can do this, I can do this, _Erik thought, motivating himself. "The name I use when my music is published is not Erik Destler. It is..." He couldn't help but pause. Not another living soul on this earth knew the information he was revealing, besides Nadir. But, well, that was about to change. "It is Noah Wellington."

Christine's eyes widened. Her arms uncrossed and her hands fell to her lap. The man just admitted to being her favorite composer, an extremely famous composer at that. He was Erik, he was Noah, _and _he was Noah Wellington? _He's lying! _her mind accused. Still, she didn't speak.

Erik took in her disbelieving expression. He only wished she would trust him again.. but that wasn't going to happen unless he told her everything, and even then it might be hopeless. "Towards the end of May, I became tired of composing. You must know, I have _never _felt that way before. Music was my life. It was all I knew."

He stopped to gather his thoughts. "It was because of boredom that I discovered Pen-a-Pal, just as you did for the same reason. The website intrigued me, for I had never taken part in anything like it. Before that day, I had always been a recluse whose only companions were music and the man who raised me. But then, I found _you._" He spoke the word 'you' with reverence in his tone. "The very first email you sent me changed my life, and you have continued to change my life everyday since then."

Christine forced herself not to react to that in any sort of way. She had to stop herself from feeling lucky or special. _I hope that's not all he has to say. He has yet to answer several more of my unspoken questions._

"We live in the same city," Erik continued. It was time to talk about 'Noah'. "Both of our profiles reveal that. When you first told me that you were working here, I immediately became curious. I wanted to see you in order to know that you were real. I often thought you were 'too good to be true', as the saying goes. I had to be sure. So, it was a Saturday night when I visited the Macaroni Grill and saw you for the first time. I recognized your voice first, since I had already heard it a number of times. And then, when I saw you, I knew I could never see you again."

That confused Christine. _Why would he feel like that? And he did see me again.. so what changed his mind? _

"You were perfect- your beauty, your voice, your demeanor. You were the epitome of all that is good, and I was unworthy. I left that night thinking that I could be content with only emailing you."

Erik's eyes left her face, and he gazed out into the distance. "That changed, though... I couldn't be content. I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you. So, I returned. As fate would have it, you were my waitress. I became 'Noah', and you know the rest." His eyes returned to her lovely face wondering what could be going through her mind. Was this the end?

"I chose to be your waitress that night," Christine said softly. "I'd already seen you that Saturday, the first time you came in. I just.. I wanted to be your waitress." She shrugged while still thinking about everything he'd just told her. It was all so crazy. And yet, Christine wasn't as shocked as she thought she would be.

She had to admit that if Erik had told her through an email his exact location, her curiosity would have caused her to find him, just like he found her.

It still wasn't right, though. To possess three different identities and to use two of them on her was just wrong. _He should have known me well enough through emails to know that I would never judge him. _

But there lay the problem. So many other people had probably been rude and judgmental towards him throughout his life. Of course he would assume she would be the same as them. It was understandable.

To carry the lie on for as long as he did was what Christine couldn't understand. She'd already explained to him that she hated the way others acted, so he should have respected her enough to tell the truth.

At the same time, though, the man was just so accustomed to keeping his identity hidden. It had to be hard for him to overcome what he was so used to doing.

Her differing perspectives caused her to sigh, and she realized that neither of them had spoken for quite some time.

Erik was giving her time to think things through and make a decision. _Will she leave me? _A voice in his head replied, _Most likely... _He refrained from apologizing again because she'd made it clear that the words 'I'm sorry' weren't good enough, so he resigned himself to merely sitting and watching her.

The silence was becoming really awkward. Finally, Christine spoke. "So, you're Erik, Noah, and Noah Wellington. But really, you're only Erik... I can understand your reasons for taking on three different identities. I just don't understand why you chose to lie to me for so long. It seems like you should have known that I'm not like other people, in that I would never think badly of you just because of your appearance. I like you, Erik. I already told you that."

"You like the Erik who has been emailing you all summer," he corrected. "You don't like the Erik who has been seeing you for the past month." His thoughts were slowly focusing on one thing- _She said that she likes me... It wasn't in past tense. _

"You're wrong. I like both Erik and Noah. To be honest, I've been incredibly confused. I thought I had to choose one of you. I-I didn't realize.." She didn't finished what she was saying. Her eyes strayed down to her hands, which were on her lap.

"But you can have both of us," Erik said hopefully. "You don't have to choose." _You can have me, if you want me. _He refrained from telling her those vulnerable words.

Christine looked into his eyes again. She _really _looked, trying to find the Erik she knew, as well as the Noah she knew. He stared back at her solemnly obviously prepared for the worst.

Then, suddenly, she laughed. It couldn't be helped. All of the lies, all of the confusion, and everything that had just been revealed were finally just too much. Christine shook her head while laughing. "I-... I'm sorry... Just-.. give me a second."

Erik could only watch her with nothing less than pure shock in his eyes. She was laughing? After everything he'd just told her, she was laughing? It didn't make sense.

After settling down some and taking a few deep breaths, Christine took a moment to think of what to say. "Well, I always knew you had the ability to be famous," she said, referring to the fact that he was Noah Wellington.

He didn't know what to say. First she was angry, then she was laughing, and now she was displaying an attitude of nonchalance?

Christine proceeded to smile for the first time, and when he didn't follow suit, she knew it was time to reassure him. "Erik, it's ok. I forgive you." He gasped. "I can understand why you did it. And actually, well, I'm starting to feel pretty relieved. It feels good to know that I don't have to choose between you and No-.. I mean, you." She smirked. "I'm a lucky girl, aren't I? To like two people only to come to find out they're the same person... Yep, I'm lucky."

Tears came to Erik's eyes as he realized what she was saying. "You mean.. You're not leaving me?"

His voice seemed almost child-like. "No," she replied with an affectionate smile. "I'm not leaving you."

They looked at each other, both seeing one another with new eyes. Everything was different now. It was... unbelievable.

_Finally, _the reality hit him. Erik was accepted by the woman he loved. "Oh, Christine," he whispered in awe.

Christine grinned. "Erik," she said, addressing him the proper way. For a few seconds, they only gazed at each other. Christine bit her bottom lip, realizing what she was wanting to do. Without a hint of warning, she leaned forward and hugged him.

Again, Erik was taken by complete surprise. To feel her touch his arm, as she had done earlier, was one thing. But to _hug _him? He'd never been hugged before... Not even by Nadir, though the man had tried a few times. This, though, this was new. New and _wonderful_. He returned the hug after several seconds, wrapping his arms around his angel. "I-I cannot believe this is happening," he whispered.

"Believe it." Christine smiled while still reveling in their embrace.

They backed away from each other after a while. Christine was blushing, and Erik was looking at her as if she was the only important person on the planet.

"So, Erik," Christine said with a small smile.

"Yes?" he asked, still amazed by her.

"I can't help but to be curious... I mean, you're _Noah Wellington_. It's.. It's just hard to believe. Don't get me wrong, I do believe you. I just-.. You've got to be really rich."

Erik blinked. Then, he laughed, a deep, resonant laugh. Shrugging gracefully, he replied, "I suppose I am rather wealthy. To me, though, money is of little importance."

Christine thought about the Rolls Royce Phantom he owned and begged to differ. "You sure do have a nice car, though."

"You should see my house," Erik told her without thinking.

She could only imagine.

"What I mean is, I may purchase expensive things, but they do not even come close to meaning as much to me as the person I am looking at." His lips curled upward as an attractive blush covered her cheeks. "Surely you must know my feelings for you." His voice was soft.

Christine's blush deepened, and she nodded. "You like me."

Feeling the 'Noah' in him, Erik decided to place another truth in her mind. For some reason, it just seemed right to tell her. Even if she couldn't return the feelings... "Yes, I like you. But, I am also in love with you." As soon as the words left his mouth, the 'Erik' in him wished he could take them back. _Too soon, Erik. This is too soon! _

Christine's entire body froze. _'I am also in love with you..' _His statement replayed in her mind over and over again. "Y-you are?" she whispered.

He gave her a slow nod. "But Christine, please do not feel like you have to return the words. I am only telling you so that there are no more secrets. I believe keeping things hidden has caused enough problems." Before she could say anything else, he quickly tried to change topics. "It's a peaceful night, isn't it?" He looked towards the sky.

"Wait."

Erik looked at her nervously.

Christine played with a strand of her hair, feeling nerves of her own. "I never thought about it before. Loving you, that is. I only knew that I liked you. A lot. But, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm realizing... I might love you, too. You just mean so much to me," she explained. "I've gotten to know you through emails, through talking to you during work breaks, and through your music. Words can't describe how I feel when I receive an email from you or see you or listen to your music. I just feel so.. good, elated really. I don't know what I'd do without you. And.. I never want to know." A few tears came to her eyes. "So that's love, isn't it?" _Yeah, I really do love him. _

He wouldn't have believed it had she not just described to him everything that he himself was feeling, too. "Yes," he replied, nodding. "Yes."

Neither spoke as they stared at each other with love in their eyes. "I love you," Christine finally whispered. She leaned forward again, but this time it wasn't to hug him. This time, it was to kiss him.

Erik wasn't caught off guard, for he leaned forward at the exact same time as she did. When their lips met, everything seemed to come together. They were in love.

For Christine, it seemed as if she'd been waiting on Erik to come into her life for a very long time. She remembered how she had felt before the summer began. She'd felt that her life was unfair and that she was alone. She'd felt worthless. Now, though, she felt loved, cherished, and wanted. And she was determined to return those feelings wholeheartedly.

For Erik, Christine was the missing piece to his heart. She'd changed his life more than even _he_ knew. What he knew was that he would love her for eternity. She deserved so much, and he would give her all that he had.

They kissed for a long time, exploring each other and loving the feeling. It wasn't until Christine's cell phone rang that they were forced to part.

"Darn," she murmured while searching through her purse for it. _Brian. _"Hey," she said, the phone to her ear. After a pause, she said, "Sorry." Another pause. "It's that late? You're kidding." There was some silence before she laughed. "No Brian, you don't have to send the police. I'll be there soon." There was one last pause. "I'm with Erik right now. I'll talk to you when I get home. Bye." Then, she ended the call and threw the phone back into her purse. Her eyes found Erik's again. "Sorry about that.."

Erik hadn't been paying attention to her phone conversation. He couldn't get past the kiss they shared. It was his first kiss. He was experiencing a lot of 'firsts' tonight. "That was.. indescribable."

Christine knew immediately that he wasn't referring to her conversation with Brian. She blushed. "I know."

He chuckled. "I'm afraid I have to admit that that was my first kiss."

"Mine, too."

Erik was shocked to hear that, but he didn't question it. He smiled warmly at her. She was so precious, so innocent, so pure. He would do absolutely anything for her. "You received a phone call."

"Yeah, it was Brian just wondering where I am. I can't believe it, but it's going on 1:00 am."

1:00 am meant the night was still young for someone like Erik. Christine, however, lived a normal life style. She needed sleep. "Christine, darling, perhaps we should go our separate ways for tonight. You need rest, and I don't want your brother to worry."

Christine loved how caring he was. "Maybe you're right," she said reluctantly.

They both stood and embraced each other without hesitation. "I love you, Christine, more than I can say."

"I love you, too." She'd never felt so sure about anything. They kissed quite a few more times before holding hands and walking towards their cars in the Macaroni Grill parking lot. Theirs were the only cars in the lot. "When are we going to see each other again?"

"Whenever you'd like, my love."

Christine grinned. "Tomorrow?"

Erik chuckled and squeezed her hand affectionately. "That sounds divine."

Knowing that he wasn't used to this sort of thing, Christine said, "Here, let me give you my cell phone number. And you can tell me your number, too." They exchanged phone numbers, and it was decided that Erik would call her at 11:00 am. It was also decided that they would meet at Byrd Park and then drive from there to Erik's mansion. Christine was ecstatic about the plan and the fact that she was actually going to get to see a mansion. Nothing excited her more than the prospect of seeing Erik again, though.

"Goodnight, Christine," Erik softly said before leaning down to kiss her.

When they parted, Christine returned the words. "Goodnight, Erik." _He's not Noah, he's not Noah Wellington. He's Erik. My Erik. _They couldn't resist kissing one more time before separating for the night.

While driving, Christine decided that she couldn't wait to get home and tell Brian what happened. Her brother was such a significant part of her life that she wanted to know his thoughts on everything.

Erik had two things on his mind as he drove towards the mansion. Christine was always on his mind, she would be until the day he died. Also, though, he was thinking of Nadir. He was planning on apologizing to him and telling him about what had just transpired. He could hardly wait to see pride in Nadir's eyes, and it would be directed towards him.

More than anything, though, Christine and Erik couldn't wait until 11:00 am. All they wanted was to see each other.. again and again.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Erik reached the den of his mansion and found his friend to be sitting on the couch with his lap top. "Nadir!" Erik exclaimed, not being able to hide his good mood. He didn't want to. He'd been unhappy for far too long in his life, so it was this sort of moment that deserved some showing off.

Nadir was definitely taken aback by Erik's tone. He turned his head to look at the man, and not even the mask could hide his uplifted spirit. But, Nadir felt the need to pretend not to care, although he did wonder where Erik had been all this time. It was late, and yes, he had begun to worry. "You're speaking to me?" he asked, his eyes returning to his lap top.

A sigh left Erik's lips as his excitement was put on pause. _He hasn't forgotten the incident from yesterday.. _He remembered what happened. Nadir had merely tried to help him with Christine, and he had reacted hatefully. _I need to apologize. _Oh, how he hated apologies. He always had. But, this was important. "I'm sorry for my rudeness yesterday. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did." He waited for Nadir to say something, but he didn't speak. He didn't even look at him. Apparently, his apology hadn't been good enough. _I suppose I will try again. _"You were right. Noah couldn't exist any longer... And that is why he _doesn't _exist any longer."

That caused Nadir to look at him again. Erik's words were alarming. "He doesn't?"

Erik's lips curled upward. Perhaps Nadir would forgive him after all. "No. Christine now knows the truth."

"And?" Nadir asked eagerly. He was anxious to know her reaction. Obviously her reaction had been good, though, or else Erik would not have looked so happy.

Walking further into the room, Erik took his time with it, wanting the suspense to build. It wasn't everyday that he had such good news to give. "_And_... She loves me," he finally said.

Nadir placed his lap top on the floor. "She loves you?" His own excitement was building. "Erik, that is fantastic! I am so happy for you." Eyes gleaming, he added, "I had a feeling she would accept you after you told the truth. I'm proud of you, Erik."

Erik basked in the feeling of someone being proud of him. He sat in his arm chair and looked at Nadir to tell the story. Opening up, he gave Nadir a detailed version of all that had happened, rather than being his usual cold, distant self. And once he was finished, Nadir laughed.

"What a wonderful story!" he said, still laughing. "It seems you have experienced every sort of emotion tonight. You must be exhausted."

"On the contrary, Nadir, I feel on top of the world. I feel like I could do _anything_." Erik was absolutely giddy as he thought of all the possibilities. "Perhaps I will compose. Yes, I believe I will do just that." He stood and began walking away, but he stopped in the doorway and turned towards Nadir. "Your being proud of me means more to me than you can know." Then, he left the room feeling a little embarrassed by his last statement.

Nadir could only blink in his absence. _Did I really just hear what I think I heard? _It couldn't be denied. _Erik is a changed man, and it is all thanks to this Christine. I do wonder if I will ever meet this heroine. Yes, I have seen her from afar, but actually speaking to her would be nice. _He smiled and picked up his lap top once more while listening to Erik play in the distance.

* * *

"Brian!" Christine shouted as soon as she opened the door leading inside her house.

Brian literally ran to the foyer where Christine was. "What? What is it?" he asked frantically.

Christine laughed at his appearance. He was wearing pajamas and his hair was a mess. It was obvious that he had fallen asleep, and probably on accident since he was most likely waiting up for her to get home. "Sorry for waking you up," she said with a tone that didn't sound at all apologetic.

He scowled at her. "Where the heck have you been? I've been worried sick!" Then, he scratched his head, and Christine could have sworn that she saw him blush. "Sorry, I'm acting like a parent, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are, but it's ok," Christine replied gleefully. "It doesn't matter. Seriously, you'll never believe where I've been or who I've been with!"

"But, you told me on the phone that you were with Erik..."

Christine couldn't remember telling him that. "Oh, I did?" She shook her head. "Oh well, anyway, do you want to hear what happened?" He nodded. "Well, it turns out Noah is Erik! Isn't it great?"

She was speaking so quickly that Brian was having trouble processing. It didn't help that he was still groggy. "Whoa, hold on... What?"

"Noah is Erik. Erik is Noah."

"You mean... They're the same person? Wait, how can you be sure?" He knew his sister was pretty gullible. There needed to be proof for Brian to believe it.

She shook her head and sighed at his skepticism. "Here, let's go sit in the living room. I'll explain everything." They made their way to the living room and Christine sat on a recliner while Brian sat on the couch. "Ok, I'll tell you everything." She began to explain, starting from the beginning when she saw Noah at work and sat with him to talk. Then, she moved onto their conversation on the bench. "And get this.. Not only is Erik Noah, but he's also Noah Wellington! Can you believe that?"

Brian sat thinking for a moment. "Who's Noah Wellington?" he finally asked.

Christine laughed. "'Who's Noah Wellington?' Well, he's a really famous composer. Really well known. I can't believe you've never heard of him." She watched him shrug. "We've sung a lot of his songs in chorus at school. Remember that solo I sang senior year?"

"Which one?"

"Well, all of them. Every single solo I sang was written by him."

"Really?" he asked in interest. "Well, that's cool. _But.. _I'm not convinced. How can you be sure this liar is a famous person?"

She frowned at his use of 'liar'. "Look, I know he lied, but he had a good reason. I'm not finished yet. Let me continue the story." She proceeded to explain everything else that happened on the bench, including Erik telling her that he loved her, and her telling Erik that she loved him, and kissing him. Although it was weird telling him _all _the intimate details, she just felt like she could. Brian was her best friend. Of course, she was going to call Meg and tell her everything soon enough, but Brian came first.

It seemed Christine's smile and excitement were contagious, because Brian couldn't help but act the same as her. "That's great, Christine. Really, I'm happy for you. It sounds like this guy really is telling the truth." He grinned. "So, my sister's in love."

"Yeah," she said blushing. "He means the world to me."

"I can tell... Well, I guess I'm going to go to bed now. I'll see you later. Sleep well. Whenever you go to sleep, that is. You're pretty wide awake right now, aren't you?" he asked knowingly.

She giggled. "You know it!"

Brian shook his head with a smile and left the room.

Christine sighed longingly wishing for 11:00 am to come as quickly as possible.

* * *

As expected, Christine's cell phone rang at precisely 11:00 am. That didn't make her any less surprised and happy about it, though. She squealed before clearing her throat and answering. "Hello?" she asked, her voice calmer than she was.

"Good morning, my dear," Erik said cheerfully.

"Good morning!"

Erik chuckled at her bright tone. She was adorable. "How are you today?"

He was just so thoughtful of her feelings. "I'm great now." She giggled unintentionally.

"I see," he said smirking. "I must admit, so am I." Erik knew it would be more polite for him to initiate their meeting. "Would you still like to meet today?"

"Of course I'd still like to meet today. I've been looking forward to it all night."

That was a little concerning. "Did you sleep at all?" He wanted her to be well rested.

"Some," she replied with a smile. "Did you?"

"Some," he mimicked with a grin. Her beautiful laugh made him close his eyes in bliss. "Byrd Park?"

"I can leave right now."

"So can I."

They quickly said their goodbyes. Both of them had already gotten dressed before the phone conversation, so all that needed to be done was telling Brian and Nadir where they were going, getting in their cars, and driving to the park.

* * *

Erik got to the park before Christine. He sat still in his Rolls Royce Phantom and watched as bystanders stared at his car. A frown came to his masked face. _They would not be as interested were they to see the driver of the vehicle they are staring at like entranced idiots. _He didn't have time to think on it further, because Christine's car suddenly pulled into the parking lot. Without thought, he got out of his car and walked towards hers. The people that had been staring at his car turned away as soon as they saw him. Their reactions were the least of his concern, though. Currently, his exquisite beloved was of main importance.

He made it to her car door and opened it for her like a gentleman. "Hello," he said softly as she got out.

Without hesitation, Christine threw her arms around him and hugged him close. Bystanders looked astonished at the sight, but Christine and Erik didn't notice.

Erik froze when he felt her arms around him, but his eyes soon closed peacefully as he returned the hug. _Apparently, she still loves me. _It took his breath away, the feeling of being loved. "Well, this _is _a good morning," he whispered.

"Yes, it is," Christine agreed. They broke apart, and she reached out to hold his hand.

He instantly pulled her hand up to his lips to kiss her soft skin tenderly. She blushed, which he cherished. "You're beautiful," he said while gazing at her appearance. She was wearing a lovely yet simple pale green sundress. It accentuated her green eyes.

"So are you," she murmured while staring at him.

Erik's face contorted into disgust underneath the mask. _She knows not what she says. _A moment later, he returned to normal, though. "We can go to my home, if you'd like."

"I'd love to." She'd noticed the odd look on his face when she complimented him, but, also feeling that he didn't want to talk about it, she didn't discuss it further.

"You can ride with me.. only if you want to, of course. Then, when it is time for you to go, I can drive you back here. Fair enough?" he asked with an indulgent smile.

Christine nodded eagerly. She couldn't wait to see the inside of his Rolls Royce Phantom. _Brian would be so jealous. _They walked to his car, and Erik opened her car door for her.

As soon as she got in, Christine felt out of place. She'd never been near such luxury. Everything looked _really _expensive, from the leather seats to the six CD changer. "Wow," she whispered.

"You like it?" Erik asked from the driver's seat. She could only nod silently while looking around. He chuckled and reached out to push a strand of hair behind her ear before starting the ignition and driving away.

Light classical music played in the background while Erik and Christine spoke to one another about everything and nothing. It didn't take long for them to reach the mansion, and Christine stared in wonder at the driveway's entrance gates. _Whoa, it's like royalty! _Then, she looked beyond the gates at the most beautiful mansion she'd ever seen, although she hadn't seen many.

Erik observed her childlike excitement, and he was pleased.

"This is.. well, there aren't really words to describe it." Christine was in awe.

"It serves my needs," he said nonchalantly.

She stared at him, thinking his words were quite an understatement. "Yeah, I bet..."

Erik typed in the gate's code, the doors opened, and he drove up the long driveway to the five-car garage. Once they were parked inside, Erik got out and raced to Christine's side to open her car door. He'd do anything to see her blush again, and he got what he wished for. He led her to the front door instead of going through the garage entrance, and Christine admired everything along the way. The yard was immaculate, and she wondered how they kept it that way.

"Do you pay people to come in and do yard work?"

He laughed at her question. "Actually, Nadir is very fond of gardening. Everything you see here was done by his hands."

"Wow, I'm impressed. Am I going to get to meet him today?"

Erik found he was a little jealous. She was impressed with Nadir, but he wanted her to be impressed with him.. and only him. "Yes, I believe so. He refrained from going to the office today." And he knew exactly why. His friend was curious to meet Christine, of course. Yes, Erik was onto him... He didn't know how he felt about it. Anyone would be curious to meet someone like Christine, sure, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Christine was happy to hear that she would be able to meet the man Erik lived with. She found she wanted to know as much about Erik as possible.

They made it to the front door and walked inside. She could only stare at her surroundings with her mouth gaping open. The foyer they were in was hands down the nicest she had ever been in. Everything was perfect. If she hadn't believed that Erik was Noah Wellington before, then she definitely did now. She wondered... _Why does he love someone like me? I'm nothing compared to all this.. _

Erik seemed to notice that she felt like she didn't belong. _How do I make her understand? _"Christine, please know that all of this is of little importance. It is not my intention to flaunt my belongings. I love _you_. Everything else is insignificant."

Christine was stunned that he could sense her feelings. His words brought immediate relief, and she couldn't help but turn towards him and say, "I love you, too."

Closing the distance between them, Erik's lips brushed against her forehead before Christine turned her head upward in order to kiss his lips.

Erik smiled at her forward ways and decided he would be forward, as well. He deepened the kiss, opening his mouth and letting his tongue touch her lips asking for entrance. She allowed him entrance, and they continued kissing like that for a long time.

Minutes passed... But then, Erik's eyes flew open. He heard what Christine couldn't. Someone had entered the foyer. Gently ending their kiss, Erik's head turned towards the intruder. It was Nadir, of course, and Erik glared at him. Christine's head turned towards the man, too, and she blushed, realizing that he'd seen them kissing.

Nadir didn't want them to feel uncomfortable. In fact, he had been about to leave, knowing it would be best not to disturb them, but Erik caught him before he could. "Good afternoon," he greeted jovially. "You must be Christine."

She nodded, getting over her embarrassment. "And you must be Nadir. It's good to meet you."

"Likewise," Nadir replied. He then looked at Erik, who was still glaring at him. He wasn't ready to leave just yet, though. Who knew if he would get another chance to talk to her? His attention returned to Christine. "So Christine, you have known Erik for quite some time now. And you now know the truth." He watched her smile. "How does that make you feel?" Erik gave him a murderous glance.

Christine finally did look at Erik and noticed the look he was giving his friend. "Relieved," she said, continuing to look at her love. "_Very _relieved."

The dark-skinned man smiled warmly. "I'm very glad to hear that. Now, I will leave you two to what you were doing." He could have winked, but he refrained from doing so because of the look in Erik's eyes.

Once he was gone, Christine laughed. "That was-"

"Annoying," Erik continued for her. "And uncalled for." He turned to her, and his eyes softened. "I apologize for that."

"No, it was really good to meet him. His question didn't bother me. I mean, I _was _relieved. I'm _still _relieved. I don't think you realize just how lucky I think I am."

He blinked. "No, I suppose I don't."

Stepping forward to give him a chaste kiss, Christine said, "Most people only dream of something like this. It doesn't happen very often... finding your soul mate, that is."

Erik's eyes widened at her words. He never thought _she _would believe he was her soul mate. He thought only _he _could think that. This was just too great. He embraced her and held her head to his chest while stroking her glorious hair. "Oh, Christine... I love you, angel. I love you."

She closed her eyes feeling like she could stay in that position all day and not grow bored. "And I love you. So much."

After a while, they backed away from one another. "Would you like to sing?" Erik asked hopefully. It was something he'd been thinking about since the first time he heard her voice. To actually be with her while she sang, to give her accompaniment, to just listen, was an overjoying thought.

"Yes," she said while nodding. "I would _love _to sing."

That excited him so much that he took her hand and practically ran to the music room. Christine tried to look around the mansion as they went, but it was nearly impossible due to their speed. A moment later, though, the rest of the mansion was forgotten. The only thing that mattered was the room they were in. It was just... breathtaking.

The chandelier was the first thing to catch her attention. It was hanging by a vaulted ceiling and looked huge and dazzling. Then, she looked at his grand piano- the piano of Noah Wellington. _Whoa, _she thought in amazement. She'd heard a number of his piano compositions come from that piano, so she knew the instrument was very special to him.

She noticed a number of other instruments in the room, too. A cello, a harp, a violin, a trumpet, a clarinet... She wondered if he had the ability to play all of them. Judging by his piano compositions, she assumed he did know. The love of her life was just so talented. Did she deserve to be in his presence? Well, she most certainly didn't think so, but _he_ did. And that was all that mattered. His thoughts were the only thoughts that counted. "So, um," she stuttered, not knowing what to do in such a room.

"Will you sing?" he asked. "For me?"

Christine hesitated, and it wasn't because of the grandiosity of her situation. It was because of something small, white, and plastic. It was because of the mask on his face. He was looking at her for an answer with a smile on his masked face, and all she could think about was... _his mask._

_I wonder if he would remove it... I would love to see his face, the face that I already love. Would he do this?... For me?_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Christine tried to put the mask out of her mind. She really did. But, the more she tried _not _to think about it, the more she thought about it.

And, the bad thing about it was... It was showing through her voice. She and Erik had just begun singing, and it was supposed to be special. After all, this was the first time she was able to sing for him in person alone. But no, it couldn't be special because of an object that Christine had always considered to be trivial...up until today.

Erik noticed that there was something wrong immediately. _Perhaps she is nervous. _Though she had no reason to be, he supposed he could understand. After the many recordings she had sent him through emails, she most likely wanted to live up to what he'd already heard...or so he thought.

He stopped playing in the middle of a warm-up. _I know she can do better. _"Shall we try that again?" he asked politely. She nodded, and they tried the same warm-up for a second time. It was a simple exercise, yet Christine couldn't get it right.

_I can't let him find out about my stupid curiosity! _Christine thought in horror. _But... What is he hiding? _She inwardly tried to shake herself out of it. _Focus, Christine! … But, what if he's only trying to hide his face because of this multiple identity thing? He doesn't have to do that anymore. Not around me. _

"Christine?" Erik finally knew what the problem was. His love was distracted. He didn't know what was distracting her, though.

She blinked and shook her head. "I'm sorry..." Her eyes moved down to her hands. _If I don't look at him, I won't think about it. _

Something wasn't right, and Erik needed to know what that 'something' was. "Are you all right, my dear?"

"I'm fine," Christine reassured without looking at him. _My head is playing stupid psychological mind games... _

_Why isn't she looking at me? _He couldn't just ignore it. "Is something troubling you?"

Knowing she was being rude, Christine looked at him and tried to focus on his eyes. "Sorry, I guess I'm just nervous."

That was what he'd initially thought, but he now knew it wasn't only nerves. Something was plaguing her lovely mind. "It seems as though you are distracted. What is on your mind, love?"

His gaze was so patient and kind. Christine knew the truth would upset him, and she didn't want that. Lying wasn't right, though. They'd dealt with enough lies... "It's just-..." She sighed, finally deciding to just let it out. "I love you, Erik. I love all of you. So, I was wondering... Why do you wear a mask?" There. It was out in the open.

Erik had begun to tune her out as soon as she said the words, 'I love all of you.' He didn't need to hear the rest because it was obvious. Words wouldn't come as he stared past her at the wall on the other side of the room.

_Oh, no, _Christine thought. _I shouldn't have asked that... _"Or, well, it doesn't really matter. It's ok if you don't want to tell me." She spoke the words quickly hoping it wasn't too late to fix things.

_Ignoring it will not erase it, _a voice similar to Nadir's whispered in his mind. _Damn, _Erik thought. He knew deep down that his mask would enter the picture at some point. But, this soon? He hadn't considered that. He hadn't prepared himself.

There was silence as they both thought of what to say.

Erik recalled everything he'd ever kept from her, which consisted of his identities. She'd accepted the truth then, but this was different. This was totally different. _My face was the very reason I felt the need to lie. My face forces me to stay hidden. My face is ghastly. It is poison. And, if it were to ever be visible to her beautiful green eyes, she would be ruined. Therefore, I cannot reveal it. _It was decided, and nothing would sway his decision.

He looked at her and became incredibly serious. "Christine, my face is of little importance. It is a mere part of me that I wish to keep out of conversation." Swallowing, he continued, "You say that 'it doesn't really matter', but are you sure? Can you really...ignore it?" _Please, oh please, Christine... I cannot lose you, _he thought desperately.

Just as Erik didn't want to lose her, Christine didn't want to lose him. She nodded and replied, "I shouldn't have even brought it up. Of course I can ignore it. I love you a lot more than that." She smiled hoping her response was enough.

Satisfied, Erik nodded and told her, "It is all right to be curious, Christine... I-I am sorry." That was the most he was going to apologize, though. It was time to move on. "Now," he began, as if the previous situation hadn't even occurred. "Why don't we try that warm-up again?"

Christine put all of her effort into erasing the mask from her mind, and she supposed it worked. Erik didn't stop her again.

She sang for an hour before they both decided it was time to give her voice a break. The mask really had left her mind during the course of an hour. It was easy to lose oneself in music and forget everything else.

"Your voice is magnificent," Erik whispered. "I have longed to be this close to it for so long." He chuckled. "You sound amazing in recordings and at the Macaroni Grill, but I must say, nothing compares to this."

A blush crept to her cheeks. He was an expert at making her blush. "Thank you." Then, she grinned. "I think it's about time I heard your voice. Any speaking voice that can sound like yours must sound incredible singing."

This, too, was something Erik didn't wish to reveal. He could never forget how Nadir had reacted that day he heard him sing. To cause such hypnotism was frightening and not something Erik wished to repeat. "How about I play for you? I can play a Noah Wellington composition that hasn't yet reached the public." That would surely distract her from wanting to hear his voice.

Christine found his not wanting to sing to be a bit strange, but his offer was definitely fine by her. She nodded eagerly and moved to sit where Erik gestured her to beside him on the piano bench.

Once she was beside him, Erik wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek without hesitation. He would always make every effort to show her that she was the most important person in his life. She giggled, which made him smile before moving to obtain a piece of music from his pile. It was his most recent composition. Nadir hadn't yet taken it to be published.

_'Awakening Light'. _Christine read the title twice wondering if it held a special meaning.

"Everything was so dark before you entered my life," Erik murmured, answering her unspoken question. "Your presence has brought light to the surface. This is dedicated to you. It portrays the sort of mood you bring about."

Christine had never felt so special. To know that a piece of music was dedicated to her, and that it was written by _the _Noah Wellington -who was also the love of her life- was very moving.

He began to play, and every thought Christine had left her mind. She was captivated. The song seemed to float somewhat. It was light-hearted, but not too much so. There was also a certain depth to it that couldn't be described in words. Christine didn't know that she had the power to bring about such beauty.

When it was over, she placed a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned to look at her, she kissed him with all the love and gratitude she felt. "Wow," she whispered, referring to the song.

"Wow, indeed," Erik whispered back, referring to their kiss. He kissed her again before pulling back and gazing at her. "That was only a taste of how you make me feel."

"Thank you so much," Christine said softly. "You really know how to make me feel important, you know that?"

Erik laughed. "That is my goal in life, darling." As he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but notice her gaze flicker from his mask back to his eyes. He forced himself not to let it get to him, though.

* * *

The mask wasn't mentioned again for another two weeks.

During that time, Erik and Christine had seen each other every chance they could. Erik wouldn't visit Christine during her work shifts, but he would meet her each time she got off work. His waiting beside her car in the Macaroni Grill parking lot always came as a huge surprise to her, and he always treasured her reaction.

Christine visited Erik's mansion frequently during the two-week time span. They would make time for music, of course, but they would also take walks on the mansion's property, take drives in Erik's Rolls Royce, dine together in the mansion's spacious dining room, read to one another in one of the mansion's libraries, watch movies in the theater that Christine had been astonished to find in the mansion, laugh together, talk together, and simply spend time with one another.

One of the big events was when Christine told her mother and Jeremy that she had a boyfriend, once they got back from their honeymoon. She made sure to keep from telling them about his identities, but she did tell them other things about him, such as his love for music and their other similar interests. Her mother had insisted on wanting to meet him, so Christine told her that they could maybe all get together for a family meal. So far, that hadn't happened. Christine could only imagine such a thing actually taking place...

One other thing that occurred was when Christine had been forced to tell Tim she had a boyfriend. He'd immediately asked if it was the 'masked man', to which she had confidently replied, 'Yes.' Although he hadn't been understanding at all, the good part was that she'd finally gotten through to him. Now, they were friends, and Christine was finding that he was far better at being a friend than a flirt.

Other than that, Christine had simply been focusing on Erik and their relationship.

Erik had more time on his hands than Christine. While she was busy working, he was busy thinking. No matter how hard he tried not to think about his face, he couldn't get the image of Christine looking at his mask out of his mind.

She'd told him that the mask didn't matter, but Erik knew that wasn't the case. She never mentioned it during their time spent together, but he could only imagine her thoughts.

If there was one thing worse than her _talking_ about it, it was her _thinking_ about it. Erik didn't like to think that his monstrous face was plaguing her innocent mind.

And yet, it wasn't his 'face' that she was thinking about. It was his mask and what could be hidden beneath it.

For her to wonder was the very reason she couldn't get it off her mind. She needed an answer. She needed the truth...

* * *

It was a Sunday afternoon when the mask was mentioned again, and surprisingly, it wasn't Christine who mentioned it first. It was Erik.

Everything had been going well. They were in the music room, and Christine was singing one of Erik's compositions while he played the accompaniment.

It was when Christine looked up from her music stand to gaze at him while still singing that Erik stopped playing.

Christine stopped singing. "Oops, did I mess up?" Her eyes quickly flew to her music to see if she'd gotten a word wrong.

"No," Erik replied softly. "It isn't that."

She could see a look of anguish in his eyes. "What is it?" she asked worriedly.

He decided to just say it. "Christine, have you really been able to ignore the mask?" He saw her eyes widen. "You can be honest."

"For the most part, I have," Christine replied after a pause. "I've been enjoying our time together. It's been easy to forget your mask when we have such good times together."

"Perhaps it has been easy for you, but it seems I cannot stop thinking about it." Erik looked down at the piano keys. "I cannot help but consider your thoughts." _I must be honest... _"I have lied to you about my identities, and it is because of my face that I did. I-I have not lived an easy life. When it is not others judging me, it is me judging myself.

"I am sure you have been able to guess what is beneath this mask," Erik continued while still looking down. "I am sure your guesses have been accurate, too."

Christine chewed on her bottom lip while considering what she had always guessed but had never known.

"My face bears a horrible deformity," Erik finally said. "When I was an infant, I was nearly killed because of my face. People do not take well to the less fortunate."

Christine gulped but didn't speak.

"And now, many years later, I am forced to hide because of it." He glared down at the keys. "If you were to see it, you would know why." In a low voice, he confessed, "I hate myself."

She was immediately at his side. No way would she let him think that way without interference. "No, Erik," she said, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "Don't say that."

Erik didn't push her away, but he did say, "It's true, Christine. I despise myself. I cannot understand how you can love me." He felt tears in his eyes, but he refused to let them spill over.

"I love you because you're the greatest person I've ever known. I love everything about you, from what's on the inside to the face I can't see." She leaned the side of her head against his shoulder. "You have to believe me when I tell you that your face doesn't matter. Sure, I'm curious, but that doesn't change my feelings for you."

"I don't want you to be curious."

Christine sighed before slowly saying, "You can show me. I won't run, I won't scream, I won't react in whatever way you're afraid of. I'll sit here and love you." She could tell he was in deep thought. "I've seen deformities before-"

"Yes, but they were _nothing_ like this," he interrupted. After a pause, he whispered, "I'm sorry. It's just, I have never been approached with a situation such as this."

She knew this was taking everything he had. "You can trust me. I've never judged you, and that's not going to start now. I love you, and I'm going to continue loving you."

Erik wanted to believe her, but it was just so hard. He'd _always _kept his face hidden. In fact, he'd _sworn _to always keep it hidden. But, he needed to let it go. The woman he loved wanted to see his face. He'd kept things from her before, and she'd forgiven him when the truth came out... It was true, she'd never judged him.

The worst that could happen was that she would leave him... _That _was what was holding him back.

"Do you promise not to leave me?" The question sounded pathetic to his ears.

But, Christine found his words to be exactly what she needed to hear. "I promise I won't leave you." She'd never been so serious about anything.

Erik blinked, her tone a little unexpected. It was that tone that finally defeated the negative voice in his head. "All right," he whispered.

With that, he slowly undid the ties to his mask. His hands stilled. He was waiting... for something.

"It's ok," Christine reassured him, her voice soft and trusting.

Erik nodded before letting the mask drop to his lap. He then turned to face her, his eyes focused on her face and expression the entire time. If he saw a hint of fear or panic, he would replace the mask.

Christine looked at his face with unblinking eyes. He was right. This was the worst deformity she'd ever seen. His face, or what was left of it, was truly grotesque with bits of decaying skin hanging off diseased-looking bone. His eyes seemed to be sunken into his head, there wasn't a place for eyebrows, and there wasn't really a nose to speak of. The only normal parts were his lips and lower jaw line. Against the deformity, though, they just seemed scary. All in all, it looked like a skull with a couple of normal features.

And, that was it. That was the only way she knew to describe it. But, strangely, all she could really focus on were his eyes. His deformity seemed to scream, 'look at me!', but Christine was so lost in his fascinating light blue eyes that his face didn't matter.

The emotions his eyes were giving off was what really captured her attention. They seemed hopeless and sad but ready for whatever was about to happen. She assumed he was ready for rejection.

She wasn't about to reject him, though. What _was _about to happen? Christine wasn't scared, she wasn't going to run, she wasn't even surprised anymore. This was _Erik_, the man she loved more than anything, and _nothing _was going to change that. She'd accepted that knowledge a while back.

Her eyes softened. Finally knowing what to do, she reached up and gently cupped his rotting cheek in her hand before smiling and whispering, "I love you."

Her actions and words were stunning. Erik couldn't stop his tears. "How?" he managed to get out.

Christine shook her head lightly, the same smile as before on her face. "Erik, it's easy to love you. To me, it comes as effortlessly as breathing."

Erik let out a sob, yet he couldn't stop himself from covering her hand, which was still on his cheek, with his. No one had ever touched it before. "It doesn't make sense. This love you speak of doesn't make sense."

"And yet, you love me."

"That's different," he quickly pointed out.

"How so?" Christine asked patiently.

"You _deserve _to be loved."

"So do you."

He shook his head forcefully. "No. No, I don't."

She sighed. "Look. Erik. Your face is part of you, just like everything else. I love it and I love you. I love all of you." Before he could speak, she asked, "Remember when I told you that you were my soul mate? Well, it might have sounded cheesy at the time, and you might have thought it was too soon to say it. But, I still believe it. You say everyone else has judged you? Well, I haven't. And I, unlike a lot of people, have seen your face. I see you and I love you, and if I'm the only one who can see you and love you, then the rest of them be damned. You deserve someone who can't help but see everything good about you. And I'm lucky enough to be that person. So, we're soul mates. Or, at least, that's how I see it." He was staring at her with those glorious light blue eyes, and she blushed, as always.

Then, without warning, Erik leaned in and kissed her. What she'd just said meant more to him than anything anyone had ever said. Quite frankly, he worshiped the very ground she walked on. Everyone else be damned, indeed. She was right in saying that, and perhaps she was right about everything else. Even if she wasn't right, though, he was still going to kiss her with every ounce of appreciation he had. She was his soul mate, after all. "I love you, Christine. Oh, I love you.."

"So, you believe me?" she asked hopefully.

Erik had to be honest about that. "I'm not sure... However, I am sure that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. The moment you came into my life, I was a changed man. So, perhaps I am not all that you think I am, but I am better than I once was. And I have you to thank for that, my angel." He kissed her again.

Knowing that there was one other thing she wanted, Erik reluctantly pulled away from her and held a finger in the air indicating that he needed a moment. He turned away and picked out a tenor solo from his stack of music before placing it on the piano stand and beginning the accompaniment.

When it was time for his entrance, he began singing softly, nervously. But soon, his voice soared and his mind forgot the fact that his singing could be causing an unwanted reaction. He sang with power and emotion up until the very end before reality hit him hard. _Christine.. _Erik's eyes left the piece of music on the stand and moved to where his love was sitting with a huge smile on her face.

She wasn't hypnotized at all. She was grinning.

"You have such an amazing voice!" Christine exclaimed. "Wow, just wow! Why didn't you want to sing for me before? I just can't believe how good you are!"

Erik could only chuckle at how fast she was speaking. He could hardly believe her reaction.

She just couldn't get over what she'd just heard. _I really do have such a talented boyfriend. I feel so unworthy.. Yet, I guess I am worthy. He's worthy, I'm worthy. We deserve each other, we _need _each other. _Returning to reality, she said, "You know, we could really go far in life, the two of us singing together."

His eyes glowed just thinking about it... But... _Wait.. _Right then, he remembered his face. His bare, deformed face. _My mask.. _He searched anxiously and found, to his surprise, that it was still sitting in his lap. Quickly, he replaced it to his face. She was wrong. The two of them could never go far in life. He would always have to hide from the world. He could never be normal.

Christine shook her head at him and smiled. "You know, you really don't have to wear it around me."

Erik's eyes widened as he thought it through. _And yet, I can be normal around one person. _This _person. _She was the epitome of all that was good, and she claimed to love him.

Perhaps he couldn't be well-known by his outward appearance, but he was already known as Noah Wellington, the faceless musician. He was rich and famous for that identity. Really, though, none of it mattered. He'd found love. He finally knew what it was like to love and to be loved. The only thing that mattered was the person he was looking at- Christine.

Identities meant nothing. Appearances meant nothing. Fame meant nothing. But, to Erik, _she _meant _everything. _And Christine could say the same. To her, _he _meant _everything._


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The moment he knew he loved her, he knew he wanted to marry her.

Erik Destler was a man on a mission, and Christine Dupree was his unknowing target.

_It has to be perfect, for she deserves perfection... _Never before had he been faced with such a challenge. To be in a relationship with Christine was one thing, but to ask her to marry him was something else entirely.

They'd been through so much together, which probably should have made the task of asking for her hand in marriage easier, but it didn't. For almost five years now, Erik and Christine had been in a very serious relationship. He'd gotten to know everything about her and had fallen more and more in love with her each passing day.

She was the epitome of all that was good. He'd known that since nearly the beginning, since the days of their emails. Part of the reason proposing to her was so difficult was because of her goodness. He knew he didn't deserve her, and yet she had stayed with him this long. She'd put up with a lot, from his reclusive ways to his famous secret identity. And through it all, she claimed to love him.

One might ask why Erik had waited nearly five years to propose. Well, besides being nervous about her answer, there was the complication of school. Christine had been attending college for the past four years as a vocal performance major. The college was local and well known for its music program, which was very lucky for Erik, as he still saw her every day. He'd enjoyed helping her study and hearing her practice her repertoire. Those were very special quality times that he would always treasure.

She was finally done, though. It was the 14th of May, and she'd graduated a few days before. Erik was so proud of her. Christine had achieved her goal. She'd been so determined, both during and before her four years in college. Not many people could have accomplished what she had. Her year of raising enough money to attend college had certainly paid off.

Erik was sure his love would go far, and he wanted to be right by her side watching it happen. Of course.. he had a plan, too, which involved helping her gain fame. He was famous, after all. Though Noah Wellington had never shown his face to society, his name still had a number of connections tied to it. With his assistance, Christine would be able to perform in any opera house of her choosing.

She had no idea of that plan, just like she had no idea of his other. And, at the present time, his other plan -the proposal- took precedence.

The problem remained, though. _How do I go about asking her to marry me? _His eyes focused on a small black box sitting on the table in front of him. That box contained the engagement ring Erik was longing to slide onto Christine's finger. The question was, would she allow it?

* * *

"You're not telling me something." Christine sat up straighter in the passenger's seat of Erik's Rolls Royce Phantom and looked at him suspiciously. She knew he was keeping something from her. "What's going on?"

Erik merely smiled. Tonight was _the_ night, but she didn't know it. "Whatever do you mean, my dear?"

After having spent most of the day at Erik's mansion, they were driving, and Christine was under the impression that they were going to her house. "Well, let see," she began sarcastically, which made Erik's lips curl upward. "You're taking me home later than usual and you've been really quiet all day." Something was definitely going on, she was sure of it. _But, what if..? _Suddenly, she inhaled sharply. Her confidence wavered as worry took its place. "Is something wrong? With us, I mean?" A large part of her was afraid of his answer.

Erik certainly didn't want her to worry about _that_. Yes, the surprise did have to do with their relationship, but not in the way she thought. He instantly reached out to place his hand on her knee in a reassuring way. "Christine, you are the most important person in my life. You needn't worry about us."

But, Christine _was_ worried about them. They'd been together for almost five years, and there still weren't any changes in their relationship. They'd gotten closer over the years, sure, but it just seemed like it was time to make a stronger commitment. She was ready and, quite frankly, had been ever since realizing that he was her soul mate so long ago. She wasn't about to bring it up with him, though. Apparently, he wasn't ready. _I'll wait until he's ready. _

That was when she noticed something strange. "Erik, where are we going?" He'd missed the turn that would take them to her house.

He wanted this night to be perfect, so he mysteriously replied, "You'll see, darling."

Knowing there was no chance of getting a real answer, Christine shrugged. "Ok."

She didn't say anything else, and for that Erik was grateful. Nobody else could pry information out of him like she could, so he was glad she wasn't trying to. He, too, stayed silent.

They drove a bit further until a lake came into view. Erik and Christine rarely ventured out into the public, due to his appearance, but he wanted this night to be different. He wanted to present her with 'the question' in a place they'd never been before. Also, though, he wanted Christine to know that he was putting his own selfish insecurities aside in order to focus fully on her. He felt he didn't show her enough that she was his reason for being, whereas she always put him before herself. It was time to make her understand how important she was to him.

He turned into the parking lot and was relieved to find that the lot was nearly empty. It was late, so it wasn't too surprising, but even if it had been full, Erik wouldn't have turned back. To show her how much he loved her and wanted to be with her for the rest of his life was all that mattered.

"Um, what are we doing here?" Christine was just so confused. It'd been quite some time since he had confused her. She was usually really intuitive when it came to Erik's actions. This time, however, he'd gotten past her.

He parked and turned off the car's ignition. "It's quite lovely at night, isn't it?" he asked, looking out at the lake and refraining from answering her question. Before she could say anything, he opened his car door and said, "Let's take a walk."

Christine sighed, still confused, but got out of the car. Erik was by her side a moment later and they began walking hand in hand. "I've actually never been to this lake before. Have you?" she asked, attempting to strike up a conversation. The silence was frustrating.

Erik shook his head, most of his focus centered on what was about to happen. They reached a bridge, and he led her across it until they reached a white wooden gazebo, which was located in the middle of the lake.

Looking around the dimly lit area and listening to the nighttime nature sounds, Christine said, "You're right, it's gorgeous out here."

He gazed at her lovingly enjoying her apparent interest in their surroundings. But, he also knew that nothing was as gorgeous as her. "Will you sit with me?" he asked softly. Actually, he was becoming nervous again. The next part of his plan was about to be underway, and it was the most important part. Was he ready? Better yet, was _she _ready?

Her brow furrowed at the expression in his eyes, but she sat beside him on a circular bench that went along the inside wall of the gazebo. "Are you going to explain to me what's going on now?"

Erik turned towards her and nodded. "Yes. I am." An intense determination came over him as he studied her precious face. "I love you, Christine."

He'd said the words countless times throughout the years, but this time they seemed a little different. "I love you, too."

A small, thoughtful smile reached his lips, and he lightly moved a strand of curls behind her ear. "Over the past five years, I have come to realize and trust that you do love me. You have no idea how much that means to me," he whispered.

Then, after a moment, his eyes left hers and he reached into his pocket to pull out a small stack of note cards. They were upside down so that Christine couldn't see what was on them.

"Green note cards?" she asked, a little amused and even more confused than before.

"I thought your favorite color would be appropriate." Erik became very serious as he handed her the first card on the stack. "You may read it aloud, if you'd like."

Still puzzled, Christine slowly turned it over and read the words. Her eyes moved from the card to Erik, and then back to the card. "'Because I have never judged you?" It wasn't even a complete sentence. _What is going on?_

"Yes, Christine," he affirmed softly. "Because you have never judged me. As I have told you before, others have judged me based on my appearance. You never have, and though I do not understand why, I do appreciate it... very much."

"It's wrong to judge people, so I don't. Plus, I love you."

Erik let out a thoughtful sigh before handing her the next card.

"'Because of my kind and generous nature," she read before looking at Erik for an explanation. He knew she didn't take compliments well, so why was he doing this?

"I've never known a better person than you, Christine. The very first time I met you, your warm personality shined through." He watched her blush, as he knew she would. She was such a modest person. Chuckling at how well he knew her, he handed her the next card.

Instead of reading it, she looked at his masked face trying to get to the bottom of all of this. "Erik, is there a point to this, or are you just trying to..." She paused trying to think of the right word. "Are you just trying to woo me or something?"

He laughed loudly at that. Her confusion was quite amusing. "You will see," he told her gently. "Now, please continue."

Christine sighed but did as she was told. "'Because of my ability to bring about light."

Nodding, Erik said, "You do just that. Anywhere you go, you bring light. My life was full of darkness, we both know that. But, because of you, the darkness has faded. I'm able to see the good in things. I'm actually able to _enjoy_ life. All because of you." He touched her cheek reverently before handing her the next card.

She shook her head lightly. "You give me far too much credit." Even so, she couldn't help but smile while taking the card. "'Because I am calm and patient'." She thought about it for a second before shrugging. "So are you, you know."

Erik let out a short laugh knowing Nadir would beg to differ. "I'm only that way around you, Christine. That is not the point, though. We are focusing on you," he said, looking at her as if she were the only important person on the planet. "You are always so calm and patient, even when you have reason not to be. Your ability to stay controlled and reasonable will get you far in life." He nodded, reinforcing his statement, and handed her another card.

"'Because I am intelligent." She rolled her eyes. "Not really, Erik." _Especially compared to you. _

"Yes really, Christine," he countered. "You are, and that is a very good thing. I would love you regardless, of course, but your intelligence just adds to your charming character."

"You've taught me most of what I know," she pointed out.

"And it is because of your intelligence that you are able to learn and retain what I teach you. Most people are not so capable. Also, your intelligence helps us relate well. We both adore music, and you are, without a doubt, a musical genius." Erik spoke the words with pride. She obviously didn't believe him, though, which was so typical. He caressed her cheek with his hand. "You are always so humble and unaware of your own talents, angel." Both were appealing qualities to possess, and it made him love her all the more.

It was then that he gulped and dropped his hand. _Two more cards, _he thought, nerves coming to the surface again. She was definitely going to catch on after reading the last two cards. Not knowing how she would react was what was really unnerving. But, trying not to assume the worst, he handed her the next card.

"'Because I complete you." Christine was realizing just how sweet all of this really was, even if she didn't understand it. She turned her attention to Erik and took his hand while gazing tenderly into his eyes. "Thank you, Erik. You complete me, too. I love you."

She still wasn't catching on, which was amazing. He pulled her hand to his lips and brushed them against it. "I mean that with my whole heart. There used to be so much missing in my life. You changed that. You changed _me_. You're the missing piece. I'm incomplete without you." Without pause, he quickly handed her the next card.

Noticing his actions, she turned it over and quickly read it. "'Because you want to spend the rest of your life with me'." All was silent. Christine read the words again, except slower. "'Because you want to spend the rest of your life with me." She blinked and then blinked again before looking up at him. "You mean-?" Words left her as her eyes focused on what was in front of her face. It was a small black box, and it was open. Inside was a ring. Her eyes widened considerably.

Erik continued to watch her every expression as he moved off the bench into a kneeling position in front of her, the ring box held out so that she could see it. He licked his lips before saying, "Those are the seven reasons why I wish to marry you. There are many more reasons, of course, but I considered those to be the most important. Each word you read is true. In my eyes, you are perfect. I love you, Christine, more than words can say, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?" He held his breath while still watching her.

_He's ready! He wants to marry me! He wants exactly what I want! _A huge smile made its way to her face, and she eagerly jumped off the bench and threw her arms around the man she loved. "Yes! Yes, of course I'll marry you!" Christine felt a few tears come to her eyes as she heard laughter escape him and felt his arms go around her.

"Thank you," he whispered while kissing her temple. "Oh, thank you." Tears came to his eyes, too, as he comprehended the full extent of what this meant.

She backed away from him slightly, and both laughed at each other's tears. _No, thank _you_, _Christine thought before moving forward to kiss his lips. "I love you," she murmured against his lips before kissing him again.

They continued kissing for quite some time before finally separating. "And I love you," Erik said, a bit breathless. He then helped her to stand and kissed the top of her head. Remembering the ring, he removed it from its box. "May I?" he asked softly while gently raising her left hand.

Christine nodded, speechless, and he slid the ring onto her left ring finger. Some tears spilled over as she watched him do it. When he was finished, he kissed the top of her hand, signifying his love for her.

"Do you like it?" Erik asked. He grinned as he watched her stare at it with wide eyes.

"I-it's huge," she couldn't help but say, referring to the diamond in the center of the elegant silver band. There were five smaller diamonds on either side of the large diamond. The ring seemed to give off its own light. "Whoa.. It's just so beautiful." She was mesmerized.

He regarded her hand with satisfaction. "It suits you." His eyes returned to hers. "You're stunning." She couldn't stop staring at the ring for another fifteen seconds, and Erik waited patiently, relieved to know that she liked it.

Finally, she looked up at him again and smiled. "Thank you so much... I'm so happy." She paused and reflected on all that just happened. "You really surprised me, you know that?"

Erik chuckled. "That was my intention, darling. I must admit, I was afraid you would catch on."

She shook her head, her eyes returning to the ring for a moment. "No, I definitely did not see this coming. Maybe I'm not as intelligent as you think I am?" she asked playfully.

"No, my dear, I'm just very clever." He winked at her.

Christine most definitely agreed. "That was, seriously, the most romantic proposal. How did you think of it?"

"As I said, I'm clever." Erik laughed but then admitted, "I talked with Nadir about proposing. I was hoping he would give me some advice. As it turns out, I didn't need any. It was actually while I was talking to him that the idea came to me."

"So, how long have you been planning this?"

"About a week."

"Do you want to know something?"

"Yes."

"I've been hoping you would do this for a long time now."

That surprised Erik, but he said, "I didn't want it to get in the way of your studies. I was also nervous. And, I had to gain the courage to ask your family."

"You actually asked my family?" Christine was stunned. She couldn't even imagine what Brian's reaction must have been.

"I wanted to do this properly. I wanted their permission."

She tried to think of a time when Erik could have asked them, but she couldn't. It didn't really matter, though. What mattered was that it actually happened. He proposed in the most romantic way she could think of, and he made her dreams come true. She decided to voice her thought. "You've made me so happy. You've really made my dreams come true."

Erik smiled feeling the exact same way. "My dear, I couldn't have said it better myself."

They laughed, glad to be on the same page. After everything they'd gone through, Erik and Christine were happy with the outcome. They completed one another, and both of them were already thinking about the wonderful future they would share together.

**The End

* * *

**

**This came to me the other day, and I've been working on it off and on ever since. You might think it's not really necessary, but, well, I just felt like writing and posting it. Plus, I'm pretty fond of epilogues. I've also got to say that it's hard to part with these characters. **

**I really hope you liked it.**

**I want to thank all of you for reviewing chapter 23, too! That's another good reason for posting this epilogue. I never got a chance to thank each of you individually, so I hope a big THANK YOU here suffices :) THANK YOU! Without you, this story may not have come this far. You all really are the best :D**

**Though these words are extremely repetitive, here goes: Please review! It would be so greatly appreciated!**

**Thanks again!**

**-Lauren **


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